Asia-Pacific markets open lower as Iran-U.S. negotiations remain in focus

Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Thursday as investors continue to assess mixed signals from the ongoing Iran-U.S. negotiations amid a fragile ceasefire.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that talks with Iran have made some progress and that "we're going to give it every chance to succeed," adding that the U.S. prefers "the negotiated diplomatic route." That said, President Donald Trump has said that he will not permit Iran to control the key Strait of Hormuz as part of a deal.

While a Reuters report said that Tehran had committed to restoring commercial traffic through Hormuz to prewar levels within one month of an agreement with the U.S., citing Iranian state media, the White House said in a social media post that the report about a memorandum of understanding was "a complete fabrication."

Meanwhile, U.S. forces launched fresh strikes in Iran, according to MS Now. These actions were "measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire," the official said in the statement, a U.S. official told MS NOW.

West Texas Intermediate futures for July were 1.66% higher at $90.15 per barrel as of 9:26 p.m. ET. Brent crude futures for July rose 2.03% to $96.20 per barrel.

South Korea's Kospi was lower by 0.36%, while the small-cap Kosdaq extended early losses, falling 2.61%.

Japan's Nikkei 225 was marginally lower, while the Topix declined 0.23%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.79% lower.

China's CSI 300 slipped 0.38%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.69%.

S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures both rose less than 0.1%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 49 points, or 0.1%.

During Wednesday's regular session, the S&P 500 ticked 0.02% higher to 7,520.36, another closing record. The 30-stock Dow gained 182.60 points, or 0.36%, for a record close of 50,644.28. The Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.07% to end at 26,674.73.

— CNBC's Lisa Kailai Han and Spencer Kimball contributed to this report.