Good News on US–Iran Peace as Trump Pushes It and Nikkei–Kospi Jump

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Asian stock markets surged sharply on Thursday (21 May 2026) after fresh hopes emerged regarding the possible end of the conflict in the Middle East. The positive sentiment came after Iran stated it was studying a new proposal from the United States (US) to end the war.

The Nikkei 225 index in Japan briefly jumped more than 3% at the start of Asia trading. At around 00:30 GMT, the Tokyo benchmark was up 3.20% before trimming some of its gains.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Kospi index rose as much as 5.42%. The Korea market rally was also supported by positive news from new negotiations between Samsung Electronics’ management and the workers’ union, which managed to avert a large-scale strike on Thursday.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were now at a ‘borderline’ between achieving a peace agreement and renewed tensions. Trump also said the negotiations had entered the ‘final stages’ or final phase.

“Iran has received the views from the US side and is studying them,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, as reported by AFP.

The prospect of ending the conflict prompted a fall in world oil prices, which dropped more than 5% on Wednesday trading. Meanwhile, the US stock market closed higher.

Nevertheless, analysts warned investors to remain cautious as similar negotiations had previously failed to produce tangible results. Trump also warned that diplomatic prospects could close quickly if talks again hit a stalemate.