Iranian Foreign Minister: Commercial Vessels' Passage in Hormuz Strait Now Open

On April 17th, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a social media post that the U.S. will take possession of all nuclear material—dubbed "nuclear dust" by Trump—from strikes conducted by its B-2 bombers, with no financial transaction of any kind involved. The move is unrelated to Lebanon, he added, noting the U.S. will separately work with Lebanon to address the Hezbollah situation. Additionally, Israel has been prohibited by the U.S. from bombing Lebanon moving forward. Trump used "nuclear dust" to refer to highly enriched uranium. His statement lauded the U.S. for destroying Iran's nuclear program through its powerful military, specifically the B-2 bombers. It is believed the highly enriched uranium was deeply buried underground after U.S. forces struck Iran's Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities last June. This batch of nuclear material, which was under Iran's control, long served as a key source of tension between the Trump administration and Tehran. (Source: FX S

April 17 — Former President Donald Trump issued a statement on the Strait of Hormuz situation Wednesday, noting current tensions have largely eased. He revealed he received a call from NATO asking if U.S. assistance was needed. Trump said he flatly rejected NATO’s offer to intervene, bluntly stating: “Don’t meddle unless you’re just here to fill your own ships with oil.” He also sharply criticized NATO’s crisis response, calling it “useless in a pinch and nothing more than a paper tiger.” The remarks underscore rifts between the U.S. and its NATO allies on Middle East security, further reflecting uncertainty over internal coordination within the Western bloc amid current geopolitical tensions.

April 17 — The Ethereum Foundation recently published a summary report on its ETH Rangers Security Project, revealing that over a six-month security funding initiative, researchers identified roughly 100 suspected state-sponsored threat actors—including those linked to North Korea (DPRK)—who have targeted multiple Web3 projects. The report notes the investigation was advanced through efforts like the “Ketman Project,” with researchers issuing warnings to around 53 blockchain projects. These alerts exposed individuals who infiltrated development teams under false identities, holding roles tied to fund flows and technical operations. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of dollars in associated funds have been frozen. The security team also integrated this intelligence into threat analysis systems focused on the Lazarus Group and presented findings at conferences like DEF CON, underscoring that nation-state cyberattacks are increasingly targeting the crypto industry’s infrastructure

April 17 — A senior Iranian official told Reuters that unfreezing Iranian assets is part of the Hormuz Peace Endeavor, but did not specify a timeline.

As of April 17, data from Hyperinsight indicates that the address tied to crypto whale Huang Lizheng currently holds long positions with a cumulative profit exceeding $2.86 million. Its Ethereum long position has yielded over $2.05 million in profits, and the address holds a total of 12,000 ETH. Additionally, the account’s historical losses have narrowed to $26.37 million.

April 17 — Shipping companies must conduct a passage assessment before rushing through the Strait of Hormuz, analyst Anthony said Wednesday. They need to verify passage safety and coordinate with Iranian authorities, he noted. Harvard Patel, captain of UAE’s Sharaf Shipping Company, stated: “Announcing the Strait of Hormuz’s full opening during the ceasefire is a positive signal, but the market remains cautiously optimistic—not fully confident.” He added: “While this move should restore some vessel traffic and ease immediate pressure on energy flows, the operational environment is still highly controlled and sensitive. It hasn’t returned to normal trading conditions yet. The real test is consistency: if safe passage holds in the coming days without incidents, confidence will gradually recover.” (Source: FX678)