U.S. Senator: If Powell Is Fired by Trump, It Will Trigger a Market Collapse

March 26 (CCTV News) — An Iranian military source stated Wednesday that Iran is closely monitoring adversary movements, adding it will open an "additional front" if the other side launches ground operations on its islands or mainland, or steps up maritime activities in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to exert pressure. Notably, the source highlighted the Strait of Hormuz as one of the world’s most critical strategic waterways, explicitly noting Iran has the capability and willingness to threaten the strait — sending a strong signal of potential "Second Strait" risk. Separately, Iran warned the U.S. that any attempt to resolve the Strait of Hormuz issue through action could trigger a broader regional chain reaction, and emphasized it is prepared for an escalation in tensions.

March 26 – As the likelihood of U.S.-Iran negotiations increases, Israeli forces are targeting as many key objectives as possible amid concerns the conflict could soon end, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing two senior Israeli officials and two informed sources. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered efforts to destroy as much of Iran’s weapons industry as possible within the next 48 hours, the officials said. The directive came after Netanyahu’s government received a U.S.-drafted 15-point plan aimed at ending the conflict, the sources added.

As of March 26, Cointelegraph reports Bitcoin prices remain under pressure below $72,000, with on-chain data pointing to weakening market demand and capped short-term upside potential. Investor behavior has shifted from accumulation to distribution: whale addresses, along with small-to-medium holders, are showing signs of selling or pausing accumulation. Large transaction activity has also dropped to a multi-month low, as smart money stays on the sidelines amid policy uncertainty (including the proposed "Clarity Act") and geopolitical risks. On-chain activity continues to decline too—core metrics like active addresses and transaction volume reflect softening overall network demand. Mining is also under pressure: Bitcoin’s network hashrate is down roughly 22% from its early March peak. Rising energy costs have cut mining profitability, leading some facilities to shut down. This has intensified market concerns over "miner capitulation" and potential selling pressure.

On March 26, stablecoin startup Payy announced it has closed a $6 million seed funding round led by FirstMark Capital, with participation from Robot Ventures and DBA Crypto. Formerly known as Polybase, Payy rebranded in 2023 to focus on stablecoin payments—with a core emphasis on on-chain transaction privacy via zero-knowledge proofs. Its product lineup includes a self-custody wallet, a Visa-enabled payment card, and the development of the Payy Network: a privacy-focused payment network built on Ethereum Layer 2. Currently, Payy operates in 120 countries with over 100,000 users and processes an annualized transaction volume of roughly $130 million. Going forward, the company will focus on expanding its enterprise customer base and driving stablecoin adoption among financial institutions and in payment use cases.

On March 25, per Lookonchain data, James Wynn once again entered a 40x leveraged Bitcoin short position. The position size is 0.62 BTC, with an entry price of $70,806 and a liquidation price of $71,675.1. His address has previously been liquidated 194 times.

March 25 — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated Thursday that the Iran conflict is “nearing an end with objectives achieved,” stressing U.S. military deployments to the Middle East serve as a warning to Iran and noting there will be “no ground combat.” However, the Trump administration has recently been revealed to be deploying ground combat forces to the region. Thousands of troops from the Marine Corps’ 31st and 11th Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) are en route, while an operational unit under the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division is also preparing to deploy to the Middle East. (Source: Jinshi)