European and Asian markets showed mixed dynamics on Tuesday as investors awaited the deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran regarding a deal, warning that otherwise “hell will break loose,” reports Euronews.

According to media reports, trading on European and Asian markets opened slightly lower on Tuesday, as investors wait for the deadline by which Iran must agree to a deal or risk its energy infrastructure becoming a target of airstrikes.

The deadline expires at 8:00 PM Eastern Time in the U.S. (02:00 Central European Time). By then, Tehran must accept an agreement ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz; otherwise, as Trump stated, the country could face the “destruction” of civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.

By midday today, U.S. benchmark oil was trading at $113.5 per barrel, while Brent crude, the global benchmark, was around $111. Both prices rose by about 1%.

The Euro Stoxx 50 index and the broader Stoxx 600 also gained 0.5%.

The UK’s FTSE 100 remained flat, Germany’s DAX 30 rose about 0.2%, while France’s CAC 40 and Italy’s FTSE MIB increased by nearly 1% each.

Meanwhile, Asian markets reacted mixed to the looming deadline.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 0.8%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 hovered around the flatline.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.8%, while the Shanghai Composite edged up 0.3%. Australia’s ASX 200 and Taiwan’s Taiex both rose by 2%.

On Tuesday morning, U.S. stock futures were down between 0.1% and 0.3%.

This decline followed a strong close on Monday: the S&P 500 rose 0.4%, marking its first positive week in six weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 165 points, or 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5%.

Monday also marked the first opportunity for U.S. markets to react to Friday’s report showing that employers added more jobs last month than economists had expected.

For an economy that has been experiencing painful spikes in gasoline prices since the start of the war with Iran, this is an encouraging signal, the media notes.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline nationwide is now nearly $4.12. Just days before the first strikes by the U.S. and Israel in late February that marked the beginning of the war, it was below $3.

In other markets, gold rose 0.77% to around $4,685 per ounce, while silver gained about 0.2% to $72.95 per ounce.

On Easter Sunday, Trump publicly reiterated his threats for the last time before the deadline, stating: “Tuesday in Iran will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day — all in one. It has never been seen before!!!”