Iranian President: $6 Billion of Frozen Funds to Be Returned in Preliminary Ceasefire Agreement

June 21 BlockBeats report: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei stated Iran is fully committed to rigorously and seriously following through on the other party’s fulfillment of its commitments. Baghaei noted that the same-day meeting held in Switzerland aimed to follow up on the implementation of key provisions from the Iran-U.S. understanding memorandum. Per Article 13 of the memorandum, negotiations for a final agreement can only launch after Articles 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 are implemented; crucially, Article 1 — which requires ending all fronts of conflict, including in Lebanon — is a non-negotiable prerequisite for entering the final agreement negotiation stage. The day’s discussions focused on implementing those specified articles, with particular attention to Article 1. The meeting also reviewed proposed measures related to Article 10 (Iranian oil exports) and Article 11 (unfreezing Iran’s frozen overseas assets).

June 21 – Global monetary policy is at a turning point. New data from 52 tracked central banks shows that in May, the number of rate hikes and rate cuts hit an even split at 26 each. This marks the first time such a balance has been struck in roughly two years, after a stretch where more central banks were cutting rates than raising them. The last time this equilibrium occurred was back in early 2021, preceding a three-year tightening policy cycle. This metric peaked in mid-2022, when 28 more central banks raised rates than cut them. Last week, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 25 basis point rate hike to 2.25%—its first rate increase since September 2023. This week, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) also raised rates by 25 basis points to 1.0%, hitting the highest interest rate level seen since 1995. That signals a new global tightening cycle is now underway.

June 21 – Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose $3.9 billion in April to $9.35 trillion, notching the second-highest level on record, according to newly disclosed data. Japan, the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, increased its holdings by $18.3 billion to $1.21 trillion – the highest since February. The U.K., the second-largest holder, added $10.6 billion to reach a record $937.5 billion. China, the third-largest holder, trimmed its stake by $1.2 billion to $651.1 billion, its lowest level since September 2008. Canada, the seventh-largest foreign holder, reduced its holdings by $42.3 billion to $397.1 billion, hitting the lowest point since January. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury market is expanding but remains diversified.

June 21 – Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that, based on maritime navigation data, no vessels have transited the strategic Strait of Hormuz since the Iranian military announced its closure on June 20. Traffic through the key waterway has fallen to zero, directly contradicting claims from the U.S. military. The news agency asserts the Strait of Hormuz is currently blocked under Iranian control.

**June 21 Update: U.S. Stock Market Closed 3 Straight Days; On-Chain Platform Trade.xyz Pre-Prices Monday’s U.S. & South Korean Equities** The U.S. stock market has been shuttered for three consecutive days, while on-chain Nasdaq-related platform Trade.xyz now offers continuous trading via perpetual contracts—providing real-time price discovery unavailable in traditional finance to set preliminary pricing for Monday’s U.S. and South Korean stock markets. Popular U.S. stocks on Trade.xyz show mixed weekend performance relative to Friday’s after-hours levels; slight gains are forecast for MRVL, AMD, and Intel in Monday’s pre-market session. Per Bitget market data: - SpaceX: Currently trading at $181.2 (vs. Friday’s close of $181.6) - Micron (MU): $1145.7 (vs. Friday’s $1151.01) - Sandisk (SNDK): $2227.4 (vs. Friday’s $2209.87) - NVIDIA: $209.34 (vs. Friday’s $210.33) - Marvell Technology (MRVL): $316.8 (vs. Friday’s $313.57) - Intel: $138.38 (vs. Friday’s $134.16) - G

BlockBeats reported on June 21 that Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and an early Bitcoin community contributor, stated that the market’s negative view of Strategy and its preferred stock STRC lacks a factual basis. Back emphasized that what Strategy is essentially doing is selling Bitcoin to pay dividends, without altering its Bitcoin reserve strategy. Moreover, Strategy is proving it can deliver returns to investors via Bitcoin while reducing its debt ratio, showcasing a new financial model to the market. The firm suggested Bitcoin could potentially become a cash alternative asset in the future for corporate asset management and capital operations. Back added that the FUD surrounding MSTR and STRC has been exaggerated, and that Strategy will not "reset." Its long-term value lies in holding Bitcoin continuously and driving the market’s understanding of Bitcoin’s monetary properties.