Trump: Iran Opens Strait of Hormuz, Ready for Unrestricted Passage

April 17th — The Information reports that Chinese AI firm DeepSeek is planning its first external financing, targeting a valuation of over $10 billion. This marks a shift from its previous self-developed model to bringing in outside capital. The round will be DeepSeek’s first large-scale external fundraising since its launch. Previously, the company relied mainly on parent company resources, with its valuation hitting roughly $3.4 billion in 2025. If the financing closes, the valuation will jump multiple times. In recent years, DeepSeek has surged with low-cost, high-performance open-source large language models (LLMs). Its model training costs are far below the industry’s mainstream level, while performance matches top U.S. models — shaking up the global AI competitive landscape. Market analysts say this move signals DeepSeek’s push to accelerate commercialization and global expansion, and reflects the capital market’s reassessment of the "low-cost AI path." As AI competition

April 17 International gold prices surged sharply Wednesday, driven by easing Middle East tensions and rebounding expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Spot gold climbed nearly 2% intraday, approaching the $4,900-per-ounce mark. On the news front: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the Strait of Hormuz will remain open during the ceasefire, easing market fears of energy supply disruptions. That pushed oil prices lower alongside a weaker U.S. dollar (greenback). Donald Trump also voiced optimism about reaching a conflict resolution deal. Analysts note the oil price pullback is helping ease inflationary pressures, reigniting bets on Fed rate cuts. Traders now peg a 60% chance of a rate cut by year-end. Institutional views: A weaker greenback plus rate-cut expectations directly support gold. Short-term prices could break above $5,000, they say. Separately, policy uncertainty has led some Indian banks to suspend gold import orders, leaving several tons of the m

On April 17th, U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran has removed or is in the process of removing all sea mines with assistance from the United States.

On April 17, U.S. WTI and global Brent crude oil futures prices dropped 12%, settling at $80.21 and $87.31 per barrel respectively, according to Golden Finance.

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.