The US military has begun to intercept vessels entering and exiting the Strait of Hormuz.

April 14 — U.S. officials and a knowledgeable source told Axios the U.S. proposed Iran accept a 20-year uranium enrichment suspension during negotiations last weekend. Iran countered with a shorter, "single-digit" year timeframe. A source familiar with the talks said, “The U.S. proposed at least 20 years, plus additional restrictions.” The U.S. also demanded Iran remove all highly enriched uranium from its territory. Two sources added Iran has indicated willingness to use a “supervised dilution process” as an alternative. Sources say the main sticking point blocking an agreement is disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program — specifically whether Tehran will agree to forgo uranium enrichment and abandon its existing stockpile. Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey are currently working to bridge remaining gaps and secure an agreement to end the conflict before the April 21 ceasefire deadline. No deal has been reached yet, but the Iranian side believed they were close to a

Per Whale Alert, Circle minted 250 million USDC on the Solana network at 23:45 Beijing time on April 13th.

On April 13, The Block reported that investment bank William Blair has released a note stating Coinbase shares exhibited "risk-off" behavior following a first-quarter sell-off. The crypto exchange’s stock remains roughly 60% below its July 2025 all-time high of $445. The report notes market expectations for weak Coinbase trading volume and revenue are already priced into its shares. Its "all-in-one trading platform" suite—covering derivatives, staking, stock trading, and prediction markets—is boosting the firm’s competitive edge. A key bullish catalyst is the growth of USDC. Data shows the stablecoin’s share of the $300 billion stablecoin market has risen from around 21% in 2024 to roughly 27% currently, consistently gaining market share from Tether’s USDT. William Blair argues widespread USDC adoption is mutually beneficial for Coinbase and its issuer, Circle, and remains optimistic on Circle’s outlook. Additionally, the report labels a sustained crypto market downturn over t

April 13: Per Onchainlens data, a whale holds 13,000 ETH (≈$28.67M) in a 20x long position across two wallets. Additionally, the same address holds a 20x long position of 286,153 SOL (≈$23.60M) and a small 5x leveraged long position in DYDX.

April 13 — Iran says its armed forces are at "maximum combat readiness" and prepared for "any scenario," warning it will deliver a "severe, firm response" to any aggression, per Iranian state media. Brigadier General Majid Hafez Ismail noted the military is fully mobilized, while officials claim missile and drone stockpiles are sufficient to sustain long-term operations. The escalation follows U.S. threats to impose a naval blockade and rising tensions after failed negotiations.

April 13 — Per The Wall Street Journal, a senior U.S. official has confirmed the U.S. blockade operation is officially underway, with more than 15 U.S. warships currently on scene to support the effort.