(Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)aMost Asia equities fell and oil prices rose on Friday after Donald Trump ratcheted up Middle East tensions by hinting at possible military strikes on Iran if it did not make a “meaningful deal” in nuclear talks. The remarks fanned geopolitical concerns and cast a pall over a tentative rebound in markets following an AI-fuelled sell-off this month. “It’s proven to be over the years not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran. We have to make a meaningful deal otherwise bad things happen,” he said, as he deployed warships, fighter jets and other military hardware to the region. “The US is pairing military readiness with stalled nuclear negotiations, signalling it has credible strike options if talks fail.

Source: Punch February 20, 2026 08:39 UTC