On April 17, South Korea's KOSPI index dropped 4.55 points, while Japan's Nikkei 225 fell by 227.62 points, indicating weakness in major Asian equity benchmarks.
The Trump administration will not renew sanctions waivers for Iranian and Russian oil, prompting threats of secondary sanctions against countries, particularly China, buying Iranian oil. This decision ends efforts to stabilize global oil prices amidst ongoing Middle East tensions.