Stock markets in Asia down sharply at the open

Barely an hour into trading, Japan's Nikkei 225 is down 4.6 percent, while the broader Topix is down 4.4 percent.

The Kospi in South Korea's Seoul is down 3.7 percent.

The stock markets have seen sharp fluctuations during the Iran war. The Nikkei 225 is down a total of just over 12 percent since the beginning of March.