On Friday, reports emerged that the United States and Iran might send signals aimed at ending their conflict, and oil prices edged lower. After a week of turbulence, that news also lent support to stock markets. Against the backdrop of rising government bond yields and persistent inflation concerns, European stocks closed slightly higher, Asian markets were mixed, and major US indices opened higher. During this week's United Nations General Assembly, the market had hoped for a breakthrough in the Middle East conflict, which drove oil prices sharply lower; but after no sign of progress in the early stages of negotiations, oil prices rebounded again. On Friday, however, oil prices eased modestly once more. Iran's foreign minister said Iran has submitted a proposal to the US side: if the two sides reach an agreement, Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and restore tanker traffic. After the news emerged, international benchmark Brent crude traded at about $103 a barrel at midday, down about 2.5% from Thursday. Abbas Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of the UN meeting: "If certain conditions are met, the strait will open within seven days, and negotiations will begin immediately." Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare said: "Given that Iran has not changed the conditions it previously proposed, the credibility of this proposal is questionable. We need to see how long the optimism brought by Iran's proposal can last." Iranian President Pezeshkian told reporters on Thursday that Tehran hopes to reach a peace agreement before the US midterm elections in November. That statement contradicts President Trump's view, who said Iran would only be willing to reach an agreement after the voting ends.