President Trump told the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday that he has a “big decision to make” on whether to make a deal or drive Iran “into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations.”Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday as he headed for the U.N. summit in New York that he would “firmly defend” Iran’s positions in the war and use the opportunity to “convey Iran’s plight.”Reports that Iran is offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. drops its naval blockade, and that a key Saudi oil pipeline damaged by drones is working again, appeared Tuesday to be keeping oil prices on a weeklong downward trend.
Stocks climb as oil slides, AI buzz returns
Stock markets advanced Tuesday as oil prices fell further on speculation the United States and Iran could make progress on talks to end the Mideast war this week, with enthusiasm about Meta’s new AI agent fanning a tech rally.
The Brent international crude benchmark was back below $100 a barrel, with investors eyeing a potential meeting between President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Hopes that Saudi Arabia will quickly resume flows through its East-West pipeline added to the downward pressure.
That added to the positive mood from a renewed burst of confidence in artificial intelligence, which pushed technology stocks higher in Asia. Wall Street indices opened higher after the Nasdaq hit an all-time closing high Monday, and stocks were broadly higher in Europe after rising in Asia.
Enthusiasm poured back into the technology sector after Facebook owner Meta’s free AI agent Muse topped the download charts following its release this month.
“If there is widespread adoption of Muse, it could add to demand for other AI tools, which could lift the AI sector, after a rough few months,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB.
Trump says he’s deciding between deal or driving Iran “into hell”
