Odaily News: Iran's Supreme National Security Council stated that Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz includes charging fees related to security, safety, and environmental protection services. (Iranian state media)
Odaily News U.S. President Trump: Having very good conversations (with Iran), we are talking to them. They want to close the Strait of Hormuz again, Iran cannot extort us. There will be some information before the end of the day. (Jin10)
Odaily News: Iran's Supreme National Security Council stated that Iran is determined to control traffic in the Strait of Hormuz until the war completely ends and lasting peace is achieved in the region. (Iranian State Media)
Odaily News According to CCTV International News, in the early hours of today (April 18), a ban on heavy vehicles entering the city officially took effect in Pakistan's capital. Control measures at local long-distance bus stations have been escalated, and metro and bus operations have been shortened. The core logic behind Islamabad's traffic upgrade this time is to enhance the atmosphere of "mutual trust," using the absolute security of physical space to compensate for the weak foundation of diplomatic mutual trust, demonstrating to Washington and Tehran that the Islamabad negotiating table is not only a geographical transit point but also an absolute safe haven for information and security. Currently, Pakistani authorities have not yet announced a timetable for the new round of US-Iran negotiations.
Odaily News Blockstream CEO Adam Back pointed out that Bitcoin's role as a store of value and the increasing institutional demand could drive its price to $500,000 to $1 million sooner than expected. (Cointelegraph)
According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi, a collection of addresses suspected to be controlled by a RAVE whale currently holds 750 million tokens, with a total value exceeding $10.3 billion, representing a concentration of 75% of the supply.
Odaily News On April 18th, news regarding the potential initiation of the first external funding round by the domestic AI giant DeepSeek continued to circulate within the industry. A recent report from a vertical media outlet focusing on technology and business stated that DeepSeek is currently in discussions to introduce external capital for the first time, aiming to bolster its financial reserves to secure a more advantageous position in the high-cost competition for developing top-tier artificial intelligence models. The company had previously declined investment offers from leading Chinese venture capital firms and tech giants on multiple occasions. However, according to sources from two individuals, the startup has recently begun engaging with investors, planning to raise no less than $300 million at a valuation of at least $10 billion. In response, a representative from a large state-owned equity institution stated, "Feedback from channels suggests that the news of DeepSeek initiating its first external funding round is highly likely to be true, and currently it's completely inaccessible for investment," adding, "More information cannot be disclosed." Furthermore, from noon to afternoon on April 18th, attempts were made to contact two senior executives of High-Flyer Quant via personal phone calls and WeChat messages to verify the related funding news about DeepSeek. However, as of the time of writing, the phone calls to the aforementioned two executives went unanswered, and the WeChat messages also received no reply. (China Securities Golden Bull)
Odaily Seer Channel monitoring shows that the probability for Polymarket's "Hormuz Strait returns to normal by April 30" contract has significantly dropped to 30%, a 24% decrease over the past 24 hours. As of now, the trading volume for this event contract has exceeded $15.864 million.
The rules for this event contract are as follows: If the International Monetary Fund's Portwatch reports that the 7-day moving average of daily vessel arrivals ("Vessel Arrivals") for the Hormuz Strait is equal to or greater than 60 on any date between the market creation date and May 31, 2026, the market will resolve to "Yes"; otherwise, it will resolve to "No". Daily vessel arrivals include container ships, bulk carriers, roll-on/roll-off vessels, general cargo ships, and tankers. Vessels not reported by IMF Portwatch will not be considered.
Due to the US imposing a maritime blockade on Iran and making excessive demands in negotiations, Iran has not yet agreed to hold the next round of talks with the US. Iran has emphasized that the US "avoiding excessive demands" is a primary condition for continuing negotiations; otherwise, Iran is "unwilling to waste time on protracted and meaningless talks." Multiple ships have attempted to pass through the Hormuz Strait but ultimately turned back. The maritime intelligence company "TankerTrackers.com" posted on social media that two Indian vessels attempting to cross the Hormuz Strait were forced back by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, with gunfire reported during the incident.
Odaily Seer Channel continues to monitor prediction markets, seeing changes before they are priced in.
Odaily News According to Iranian media Fars News: Iran says it will go all out if it reenters the war. (Jin10)
Odaily News According to Nikkei reports, Japan has approved an amendment to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA), classifying digital assets as financial instruments and prohibiting insider trading based on non-public information.
Odaily News: According to OKX market data, RAVE briefly fell below $9 and is currently trading at $9.4, with an intraday decline exceeding 50%.
Odaily News According to on-chain detective ZachXBT's statement on social media, it is not advisable to engage in short selling of tokens that are highly controlled by a small number of insiders.
Odaily News According to Coinglass data, there were $29.3224 million in liquidations across the network in the past hour, with long positions accounting for $24.1984 million and short positions for $5.1240 million.
Furthermore, RAVE saw $7.6837 million in liquidations in the past hour, while BTC had $7.2747 million.
According to Odaily, influenced by the fluctuating situation in the Middle East, the price of Bitcoin has retreated to around $76,000. Previously, Iran's temporary announcement to open the Strait of Hormuz triggered a rise in risk assets and a massive short squeeze. However, the subsequent re-closure of the waterway led to a rapid reversal in market sentiment.
Data shows this market movement triggered one of the largest liquidation events since 2026, with approximately 168,336 traders liquidated, totaling $762 million. Short liquidations accounted for about $593 million, representing nearly three-quarters of the total. During the upward phase, crude oil prices fell by nearly 10%, pushing Bitcoin to break through the key resistance level in the $76,000 to $78,000 range. However, as the Strait of Hormuz re-entered military control, with multiple oil tankers turning back, safe-haven sentiment resurfaced, leading to a price pullback.
Structurally, this rally was driven by persistently negative funding rates, with shorts continuously paying costs to longs, accumulating conditions for a squeeze. Despite the short-term correction, Bitcoin still maintains a weekly gain of approximately 4.5%, while mainstream assets like Ethereum have shown relatively more stable performance. The market's current focus has shifted to the key support level at $76,000. If the weekly close remains above this level, the breakout structure may be sustained; if it falls below, the price could potentially return to the consolidation range observed since March. (CoinDesk)
According to OKX market data, RAVE briefly fell over 50% and is currently quoted at 10.9 USDT.
Odaily News According to Al Jazeera, when asked about the possibility of a new round of talks with the United States, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Khatibzadeh stated that negotiations cannot proceed until both sides reach a consensus on a common framework. "We cannot set a date for the talks until we agree on the framework," Khatibzadeh said. He emphasized that anything Iran agrees to in the negotiations must be able to safeguard its rights under international law. Iran will not accept being an exception outside of international law, nor will it relinquish its rights. (Jin10)
