US-Iran war: The US and maker of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet, Lockheed Martin, was poised to open higher for the second day in a row on Monday, March 9.
The stock was poised to rise as the conflict in the showed no signs of abating, and amid a push for quadrupling defence production by US President Donald Trump.
In the pre-open trading, share price was up almost 2% after ending 2.56% higher on Friday. Since the beginning of the US-Iran war, the fighter jet maker’s stock has gained over 2%, poised to extend gains for the fourth consecutive month. In the last year, Lockheed Martin stock has jumped 45%.
According to a report in Barron’s, iShares US Aerospace & Defence exchange-traded fund has gained 12% this year after a 47% gain in 2025, benefiting from the growing geopolitical tensions, and the latest is giving investors another reason to pile in.
Heightened geopolitical tensions increase the probability of higher global defence spending, faster procurement cycles, and policy prioritisation of indigenous manufacturing. The countries have ramped up defence spending as geopolitical tensions remain high, prompting record spending by many nations, including India.
Production ramp-up in focus
Amid concerns that the war against Iran is depleting Pentagon stockpiles, said the largest US defence manufacturers had agreed to boost production of some weapons following a meeting at the White House, according to a Bloomberg report.
Trump said he had met with chief executive officers “of BAE Systems, Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace, L3Harris Missile Solutions, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon” — and that there were plans to schedule another meeting “in two months.”
US-Iran war tensions linger
Additionally, Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” dampening hopes for a quick end to the war.
The attacks will continue “until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse!” he said in a social media post.
Meanwhile, Iran named the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as its new supreme leader as Tehran kept up its attacks on several countries on the ninth day of the war in the Middle East.
(With inputs from agencies)
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