Asian stocks today: Kospi, Nikkei fall over 2% amid ongoing US-Iran war, rising crude oil prices

Asian markets opened sharply lower on 14 July as escalating US-Iran tensions pushed Brent crude up 1.6% to around $84.65 a barrel, after a 9.6% surge on Monday. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 1.17%, South Korea's Kospi dropped 2.01%, and Australia's ASX 200 slipped 0.29%, while US equity futures also traded lower. An AI-driven selloff in semiconductor stocks added to the pressure, with SK Hynix's ADRs plunging 9.3% and traders now pricing in nearly a 50% chance of a Federal Reserve rate hike in July.