Investors Game Out Iran Risk as Clock Ticks on Trump’s Deadline

Investors are weighing sharply diverging outcomes from Donald Trump’s demand for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring how the latest standoff is looming as a turning point.

Some are cutting exposure and raising cash, wary of wider devastation across the Gulf should the US and Iran carry out their threats. Others are positioning for volatility itself, expecting sharp swings regardless of the outcome. A smaller cohort is preparing to buy into the dip, betting on Trump’s pattern of brinkmanship that has led him to pull back from drastic action.