The US-Iran Ceasefire Extended, Oil Price Slightly Down, Bitcoin Surpasses $76,000

April 22: President Trump tweeted that the U.S. will postpone its military strike against Iran and extend the ceasefire deadline at the request of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Prime Minister. He also asked Iran to first submit a unified negotiation plan. During this period, the U.S. military will maintain a naval blockade against Iran and stay on military alert. The ceasefire will remain in effect until Iran submits the plan and completes negotiations, “regardless of the outcome.” Iran’s state TV responded to Trump’s ceasefire extension announcement, noting that Iran has already emerged as the victor on the battlefield. Controlling the Strait of Hormuz is a valuable chip Iran gained in this war. Iran has agreed to a temporary halt to combat operations, but the war is not over. It also warned Iran must be wary of any rhetoric suggesting it must enter negotiations, or the enemy will attack. Even if the naval blockade is lifted, Iran’s participation in negotiations is conditional on no issues violating its independence and dignity being raised—with a focus on Iran’s defense, missile capabilities, nuclear power and technology. Affected by this news, oil prices saw a slight decline, per Bitget data: Brent crude fell more than 2% from its intraday high to $93.45 per barrel; WTI crude dropped more than 2% from its intraday high to $91.75 per barrel. Per HTX market data, Bitcoin has climbed back above $76,000, last trading at $76,323.01 with a 24-hour gain of 0.27%. Ethereum is currently trading at $2,324.27, up 0.11% over the past 24 hours.