Institutional investors are warming to digital assets, with improving sentiment and broader use cases emerging as key drivers of adoption, according to a new survey from Tokyo-based bank Nomura and its crypto unit Laser Digital.
The study, based on responses from more than 500 investment professionals in Japan, found that 31% of respondents now hold a positive outlook on crypto over the next year, up from 25% in 2024. Meanwhile, negative sentiment has declined, pointing to a gradual shift in perception as the asset class matures.
A central theme is diversification. Some 65% of respondents said they view crypto as a portfolio diversifier, while 79% of those considering exposure plan to invest within three years. Most expect relatively modest allocations — typically between 2% and 5% — suggesting institutions are still in the early stages of adoption.
That shift is being supported by a changing regulatory and policy backdrop. In Japan, policymakers have spent the past year refining crypto frameworks, including discussions around classification, taxation and investor protections. Globally, clearer rules in major markets — alongside the approval and expansion of crypto investment products such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and tokenized assets — have reduced some of the uncertainty that previously kept institutions on the sidelines.
As a result, interest is expanding beyond simple price exposure. More than 60% of respondents expressed interest in staking, lending, derivatives and tokenized assets, reflecting growing demand for yield-generating strategies and more sophisticated portfolio construction.
Stablecoins are also gaining traction, with 63% of respondents identifying potential use cases ranging from treasury management to cross-border payments and investment in tokenized securities.
Still, barriers remain. Concerns around volatility, counterparty risk and the lack of established valuation frameworks continue to weigh on adoption. Regulatory uncertainty, while improving, has not fully disappeared.
Even so, the survey suggests the conversation is shifting. Rather than debating whether to invest in crypto, institutions are increasingly focused on how to do so — a sign that digital assets are moving closer to becoming a standard component of institutional portfolios.
Tehran says it will keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed until Washington ends its blockade of Iranian ports.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
The strategic Strait of Hormuz has been closed again during the standoff between Iran and the United States as the influential Iranian parliamentary speaker has indicated that a conclusive peace agreement is still “far” away even though talks have made some headway.
With mediators pressing on after high-level discussions in Pakistan last weekend failed to produce an accord, Tehran declared it would keep the vital maritime trade corridor closed until Washington lifts its blockade on Iranian ports.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission “will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted”.
The current two-week ceasefire will expire on Wednesday unless it is extended.
Here is what we know:
In Iran
US President Donald Trump has no justification to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, the Iranian Students’ News Agency quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying on Sunday as Washington and Tehran continue to disagree on nuclear issues.
Iran’s “valiant navy” is “ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies”, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a series of X posts on Saturday.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said a framework of understanding must be agreed with the US first before more talks are held, saying, “There was significant progress made actually,” but dismissed US “maximalist” demands on Iran’s nuclear programme.
“There is now a certain sense of frustration and uncertainty when it comes to the road ahead,” Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi reported from Tehran. “We know that Iranians are very much worried, not only about the shadow of the war, but also about the element of surprise, even during this ceasefire.”
Minister of Education Alireza Kazemi said Iran’s government does not have plans to resume in-person education at the moment.
The Iranian Ministry of Science announced that 180 members of the academic community have been killed in the war, including 18 female students and one female university professor.
The semiofficial Tasnim News Agency, quoting the deputy director of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, said the country’s airspace would be reopened with flights from east to west established gradually.
The aviation authority said Iran will resume international flights on Monday from Mashhad airport in the country’s northeast.
Iran is replenishing its missile and drone launchers at a higher speed than before the war started, Majid Mousavi, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force commander, said.
Iran’s armed forces turned back two tankers trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz after issuing warnings, Tasnim reported.
War diplomacy
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address on Saturday night that there had been “progress” with Washington, “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain.”
“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the US against Iran on February 28.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned to Pakistan on Saturday from his visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye in advance of an expected second round of US-Iran talks.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo and Islamabad hope to secure a final agreement “in the coming days”.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that Iran and the US had the will to continue talks to end the war and he remained “optimistic” that the two-week ceasefire would be extended.
In the US
Trump accused Iran of getting “a little cute” in its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to “blackmail” Washington by flip-flopping on the strait.
“We have very good conversations going on,” the president told reporters at the White House, adding that Washington was “taking a tough stand”.
The US military said it has forced 23 ships to turn around near the Strait of Hormuz since it imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. In a post on X, its Central Command said US forces were still enforcing the blockade “against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas”.
In Israel
The Israeli military said another soldier has been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, the second death announced in less than 12 hours.
Israeli forces said they established a “yellow line” in southern Lebanon similar to an Israeli military measure in the besieged Gaza Strip.
More than 1,000 homes in Tel Aviv have been left uninhabitable by the war with Iran, its mayor said.
In Lebanon
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Saturday’s attack that killed a French soldier serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Naim Kassem, head of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, in a statement read on the group’s Al-Manar TV said a paper published by the US Department of State, which he described as the text of a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, “means nothing at the practical level, but it is an insult to our country”.
“Everyone knows that the government of Lebanon has not met or approved this statement,” Kassem said.
“Matarifes,” picked up for worldwide sales by Germany’s Picture Tree, features at this year’s Guadalajara Construye, one of the industry centerpieces at Latin America’s biggest film festival.
It is joined by the next from “Yesterday Wonder I Was” director Gabriel Marino and buzz title “Poor Daniel.”
Shown just to the section’s jury, “Matarifes” marks Uruguayan directors brothers Rafael and Bernardo Antonaccio’s follow-up to an eye-catching breakout debut, the slow-boil but finally explosive thriller “In the Quarry,” which sold to most major markets worldwide and flagged the Antonaccios as talents to track.
A three-country multilateral co-production – usually a good sign with Latin American titles – once more in “Matarifes” social-issue observance is galvanised by a thriller drive and a singlar setting, here the 1970s meat ban in Uruguay.
Starring famed film director Claudia Sainte-Luce (“The Amazing Catfish”), “The Night Is About to Come” marks a return to filmmaking for Mariño who burst on the scene with road movie “A Secret World, selected for Berlin, followed by low-fi fantasy romance “Yesterday Wonder I Was,” a double Morelia winner.
There’s also good word on “Poor Daniel,” the first feature from respected Argentine actor and playwright Santiago Gobernori.
Production partners on “I Have To Leave” include Animal de Luz, headed by Inna Payán, a key producer on Cannes Un Certain Regard winner “La Jaula de Oro.”
“Swimming in the Blue” has won a bunch of screenplay awards and grants. Daniel Riglos’ “Where Dreams Sleep” marks a 10 year journey from short to feature.
A closer look at the titles:
“I Have to Leave,” (“Me tengo que ir,” Hugo Arrevillaga Serrano, Animal de Luz, Cine Acrílico, Mexico)
A nurse adrift finds an unlikely guide to confront grief and memory. Shot across Mexico City with a low-budget, emerging crew and a first-time film director from the theater, the film “embraces both risk and intimacy. It’s an honest portrait of healing, where holding on too long deepens the wound and learning to loosen its grip becomes the only way forward,” says producer Vicente Garibay Lijanova.
‘I Have to Leave’
“The Night Is About to Come,” (“Ya se quiere venir la noche,” Gabriel Mariño, Humanos Defectuosos, Jaibol Films, Pirexia, México)
Lucero, a lonely call-center worker, attends a high-school reunion, opening old wounds. “As an impulsive act of defiance she stages her own death, only to have a classmate’s hidden confession force her to confront the one thing she cannot outrun: herself,” says the synopsis. “This film is a raw character study,” says Mariño. “The film embraces her contradictions without trying to resolve them. Ambiguity becomes a way of seeing her, not defining her. What remains is an attempt at empathy.”
‘The Night Is About to Come’
“Matarifes,” (Monarca Films, Uruguay; Blurr Stories, Spain, Hain Cine, Argentina; La Mayor Cine, Uruguay; Nadador Cine, Uruguay)
Given a meat ban, Galician immigrant José and daughter Rosita set up a clandestine slaughterhouse. As the operation grows across the city-wide black market, their ambitions clash with corrupt authorities, rival butchers and a shifting political landscape, pushing the family toward dangerous alliances and violent consequences. “‘Matarifes’ explores how survival can push people to cross boundaries, and how, in that process, ambition ends up devouring everything,” say Rafael and Bernardo Antonaccio.
‘Matarifes’
“Poor Daniel,” (“Pobre Daniel,” Santiago Gobernori, Lucía Valdemoros, Blurr Stories, Obol Film Club, Argentina, Spain)
Daniel and Elizabeth’s routine existence is shattered by the arrival of Elizabeth’s brother, just released from a psychiatric clinic, sparking a ménage “as unexpected as tender.” “An attempt to blend my search for acting poetics and film language,” says respected Argentine actor Santiago Gobernori,, who adapts his own stage play. Produced by Spain/Argentina-based Blurr Stories, behind Iván Fund’s Berlin Festival Jury Prize winner “The Message,” and Argentina’s Obol (“La Sudestada”).
‘Poor Daniel’
“Swimming in the Blue,” (Tempo Meio Azul Piscina,” Sofia Federico, Benditas Projetos Criativos, Araçá Filmes, Mar Digital, Brazil)
“More than telling a story, my wish is to show the strength of human relations, how they are built and how they are part of us. Solidarity, affection and caring for one another – above all among women – are very present in the plot, with priceless values,” director Sofia Federico tells Variety. A double winner at Frapa 2020 while in development, taking two awards, one a Projeto Paradiso Award for feature screenplay.
“Where Dreams Sleep,” (“Donde Duermen los Sueños,” Daniel Riglos, Bonzo Films, Animalita, Frontera Cine, Peru)
A feature makeover of a Riglos short: a car accident leaves Santiago in coma, connecting via memory and dreams with Alina, the love of his life, who died. “Santiago must make the most painful decision of his life: hold on to the woman he loves and disappear… or let her go and survive.” “A personal exploration of memory and desire, grounded in a story showing how the mind negotiates reality, fantasy, imagination and dreams,” Riglos told Variety.
Traditional finance giants Charles Schwab and Citadel Securities are both considering entering prediction markets, with each separately weighing up how they wish to get involved in the fast-growing sector.
“I think at some point we likely will have prediction markets,” Rick Wurster, the CEO of the banking and investing titan Schwab, told investors during a call on Thursday.
He added that prediction markets weren’t “of tremendous interest” when he recently asked a group of Schwab clients about them, but it was an area the company would “take a hard look at, and it would be quite straightforward for us to offer.”
Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurster speaking to CNBC after the company launched Bitcoin and Ether trading on Thursday. Source: CNBC
Prediction markets such as the popular Kalshi and Polymarket have exploded in use over the past few months, with both platforms seeing a record combined total monthly trading volume of $23.6 billion in March, according to Token Terminal.
However, Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction market platforms have also caught the ire of some US state regulators, who have accused them in court of offering unlicensed sports betting.
Some federal lawmakers have also vowed to crack down on prediction markets, claiming the platforms weren’t doing enough to stamp out insider trading.
Wurster said Schwab’s potential offering would steer away from allowing bets on areas such as sports, politics and pop culture as it looks to position itself as a partner for building long-term wealth.
“Prediction markets that are not aligned to that are not something that we want to pursue,” he said. “If you look at the stats on the success of gamblers, they’re not strong, and people generally lose money.”
Citadel “keeping an eye” on prediction markets
Meanwhile, Citadel Securities president Jim Esposito said at a Semafor conference in Washington, DC, on Thursday that the company is “absolutely keeping an eye on developments” in prediction markets.
Citadel Securities president Jim Esposito speaking at the Semafor World Economy conference on Thursday. Source: YouTube
“We’re not there yet, there’s not that much liquidity,” he added, but said that the market is likely to “ramp and scale,” and it was “certainly possible” that the market-making firm would potentially look to get involved.
Related: Democrats question CFTC chair on insider trading in prediction markets
Esposito said Citadel was “not looking at sports at the moment at all, I don’t see us entering that market,” but did signal an interest in some event contracts.
He added that Citadel could see its retail and institutional clients use some event contracts as a hedge for risks to their investments, such as contracts for elections, which have been known to move markets.
“That’s going to be some of the biggest risks to investors’ portfolios that they’re going to have to grapple with,” Esposito said. “Having a clean and distinct way to hedge certain risks, I think there’s a good use case and industrial logic to it.”
Magazine: Should users be allowed to bet on war and death in prediction markets?
Jordi Visser, a veteran macro investor with over 30 years of experience, assessed recent market developments. According to Visser, while artificial intelligence and commodity scarcity are ushering the world into a new economic era, Bitcoin is re-emerging with its “scarcity” argument.
Visser argues that investor psychology and central bank policies are changing in the digital age. Stating that the Fed has perfected its QE (quantitative easing) game plan, Visser said, “I don’t think we’ll see multi-year recessions or prolonged bear markets again in the rest of my life. The moment a crack appears in the system, it is intervened with money printing and interest rate cuts.”
He also added that in the hyper-connected world, investors experience “amnesia,” quickly forgetting negative events and focusing on new narratives.
According to the analyst, despite the deflationary pressure created by artificial intelligence (AI), a serious inflationary risk is looming in the short term. Visser argued that the AI world has reached its physical limits and is experiencing massive processor (CPU), memory (DRAM), and energy shortages.
Related NewsWill Bitcoin’s Major Rally Continue? Here’s What the Experts Say
Visser, particularly highlighting Elon Musk’s “Terra Fab” announcement, predicts that this bottleneck in the hardware and commodities sectors will keep inflation well above the Fed’s target of 2%, reaching 4% and higher.
Visser, who analyzed Bitcoin’s recent performance from a technical and macroeconomic perspective, stated that according to Elliott Wave theory, Bitcoin has completed its correction phase and entered a new uptrend from the $60,000 level.
He argued that Bitcoin is now priced not just as a growth asset, but as a representative of “digital scarcity” in a world experiencing processor and energy shortages. He stated that traditional software companies (SaaS) are threatened by AI, but computing-focused firms like Oracle and Bitcoin miners will profit from this process.
Visser stated that Bitcoin’s place in portfolios will become undeniable by the end of the year, sending this message to asset managers and investment advisors: “By the end of the year, we will reach a point where you will have to explain why 3% to 5% of your portfolio isn’t Bitcoin.”
For years, $NEO‘s treasury was held in a setup that would be unusual for most financial institutions: hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto assets were controlled through personal wallets, with no multisig protections and little formal oversight.
That person, according to co-founder Da Hongfei, is Erik Zhang, $NEO‘s other co-founder and the architect of its core protocol.
“Around 85% is controlled by Eric alone with single signature,” Da said in an interview. “It had never been transferred to any individual or any multi-sig.” The native $NEO and $GAS tokens Zhang holds are currently worth between $200 million and $250 million, Da estimated. That’s more than $NEO‘s current $197 million market capitalization.
Zhang, for his part, has accused Da of separate problems. The two founders have been airing those disputes in public since December.
The fight has since produced rival governance plans and an unsuccessful mediation effort in Hong Kong.
Da published his restructuring proposal on GitHub on April 9. It calls for redomiciling the Neo Foundation from Singapore to the Cayman Islands, replacing the current two-founder governance with an independent five-member board, barring both founders from that board for 24 months, and redistributing roughly 26 million $NEO and 40 million $GAS to tokenholders.
Zhang’s counter-proposal called staying on the board keeping the Foundation in Singapore, not move it to the Cayman Islands.
Most pointedly, Zhang’s proposal calls for a formal investigation into historical asset management, including provisions to address potential corruption, improper asset transfers, and concealment of public assets.
Da dismissed those provisions flatly. “I think it’s a very blunt and empty accusation,” he said. “There is no corruption, no misuse of funds.”
For some observers, however, the numbers seem quite stark. $NEO‘s treasury holds ~$460 million in assets, roughly double the project’s $197 million market value, while the token has dropped 98% from its 2018 peak.
Mutual disarmament
$NEO‘s FY2025 financial report, its first comprehensive disclosure since 2020, revealed over 1,100 $BTC, more than $100 million in stablecoins and cash, and a portfolio of venture investments including an unliquidated stake in Binance.
Da broke the treasury into two halves. The first, the native $NEO and $GAS tokens, sits largely under Zhang’s single-signature control. The second, bitcoin, ether, stablecoins, fund-of-fund investments, and bank balances, is managed by NGD, the entity Da runs.
Those non-token assets, once relatively modest, have grown to over $200 million, driven largely by the appreciation of its $BTC and ETH holdings accumulated through early-stage investment returns.
The result is a treasury split almost evenly between two people who are no longer speaking productively, each holding leverage over the other, neither willing to move first.
Da framed his proposal as mutual disarmament.
“NGD will lose its control over most of the assets, including the $BTC and stablecoins, which are over $200 million. And Eric will lose his personal control of the majority of the $NEO tokens,” he said.
“Basically, me and Eric need to sacrifice our individual control over assets. I think that’s the fundamental change.”
He said he’s willing, but doesn’t know if Zhang is.
Da’s restructuring depends entirely on Zhang’s cooperation for its most critical step of transferring the single-signature token holdings to a multisig lock address. In an April 10 AMA, Da committed to a one-to-three month timeline.
Asked what happens if Zhang refuses, Da was candid.
“If there’s one person holding around half of a crypto native token and not willing to hand over to a multi-sig, constitutional governance, then what the community should do, I think the answer should come from the community itself.
CoinDesk reached out to Erik Zhang for comment and had not heard back by time of publication
Ali Martinez, a closely followed analyst in the cryptocurrency markets, shared an important assessment indicating that the technical outlook for $XRP is regaining strength.
According to Martinez, a critical indicator for $XRP, which has been under selling pressure for a long time, has given a bullish signal for the first time.
According to the analyst, the SuperTrend indicator on the daily chart has turned bullish for the first time since January 17th. This development suggests that a trend reversal may be beginning in the market after months of decline. Martinez stated that this signal could herald a potential recovery for $XRP.
However, the analyst pointed to a critical level for confirming the uptrend. Martinez stated that the $1.55 level stands out as strong resistance for the $XRP price, arguing that breaking above this level would be decisive. Specifically, a clear breakout and daily close above this level could trigger a rapid upward movement, known in the market as a “relief rally.”
Martinez noted that the SuperTrend indicator is now beginning to act as support, and in a potential bullish scenario, the first target is the $1.90 range. A move towards this level could indicate that the medium-term trend reversal in $XRP is gaining strength.
Tehran will keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed until Washington ends the blockade of Iranian ports.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
The strategic Strait of Hormuz was closed again amid the standoff between Iran and the United States, as the influential Iranian parliamentary speaker indicated that a conclusive peace agreement was still “far” away, even though talks made some headway.
With mediators pressing on after high-level discussions in Pakistan failed to produce an accord, Tehran declared it would keep the vital maritime trade corridor closed until Washington lifts its blockade on Iranian ports.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission “will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted”.
The current two-week ceasefire will expire on Wednesday unless it is extended.
Here is what we know:
In Iran
US President Donald Trump has no justification to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, the Iranian Students’ News Agency quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying on Sunday, as Washington and Tehran continue to face disagreements over nuclear issues.
Iran’s “valiant navy” is “ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies”, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Saturday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed Trump’s claims over the uranium and sounded a note of caution with regard to future talks between the two countries.
“There is now a certain sense of frustration and uncertainty when it comes to the road ahead. We know that Iranians are very much worried, not only about the shadow of the war, but also about the element of surprise, even during this ceasefire,” Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi reported from Tehran.
Minister of Education Alireza Kazemi has said the government does not have plans to resume “in-person education” at the moment.
The Tasnim News Agency, citing the deputy director of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, said the country’s airspace would be reopened, with flights from east to west established gradually.
War diplomacy
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address on Saturday night that there had been “progress” with Washington, “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain”.
“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the US against Iran.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned to Pakistan on Saturday from his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye in advance of an expected second round of US-Iran talks.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement “in the coming days”.
In the US
Trump accused Iran of getting “a little cute” with its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to “blackmail” Washington by flip-flopping on the strait.
“We have very good conversations going on,” the president told reporters at the White House, adding that Washington was “taking a tough stand”.
The US military said it forced 23 ships to turn around near the Strait of Hormuz since it imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. In a post on X, the Central Command said US forces were still enforcing the blockade “against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas”.
In Israel
The Israeli military said another soldier had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, the second death announced in less than 12 hours.
Israeli forces said they have established a so-called “yellow line” in southern Lebanon, similar to an Israeli military measure in the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel has also been accused of violating the terms of the ceasefire with Lebanon.
More than 1,000 homes in Tel Aviv have been left uninhabitable by the recent war with Iran, the city’s mayor said on Saturday.
In Lebanon
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Saturday’s attack that killed a French soldier serving with the UN mission UNIFIL in Lebanon.
Naim Kassem, head of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, in a statement read on the group’s Al-Manar TV, said a paper published by the US Department of State, which he described as the text of a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, “means nothing at the practical level, but it is an insult to our country”.
“Everyone knows that the government of Lebanon has not met or approved this statement,” he said.
Tehran is ‘fully prepared’ for US to resume hostilities at any moment, says Iran’s parliament speaker Ghalibaf.
Iran and the United States have made progress in negotiations but are still a long way from a deal, according to Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator – amplifying concerns about a possible return to war when their ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday.
In a nationally televised address on Saturday night, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that despite “progress” with the US, “many gaps and some fundamental points remain… we are still far from the final discussion”.
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On Sunday, Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, said that US President Donald Trump cannot justify depriving Tehran of what he called its ‘nuclear rights’.
“Trump says Iran cannot make use of its nuclear rights, but doesn’t say for what crime. Who is he to deprive a nation of its rights?” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by the Iranian Student News Agency.
The future of Iran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz are key sticking points in the negotiations.
The latest comments from the political leadership came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reimposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, less than 24 hours after reopening it. The reversal, it said, was due to the continuing naval blockade of Iranian ports by the US.
Ghalibaf, one of Iran’s top negotiators, called Washington’s blockade “ignorant” and “foolish”, saying Tehran would not allow others to transit the strait if its own ships were blocked.
He also said Iranian forces are “fully prepared” for the US to resume hostilities at any moment.
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said Iranian officials are using the strait, through which 20 percent of globally traded oil normally transits, “as a pressure point” in negotiations, calling it perhaps the “most important bargaining chip”.
‘Start dropping bombs again’
Mediators have been pushing for a second round of US-Iran peace talks, after a first round in Islamabad ended on April 12 with no deal. The White House had said another round would likely be held in Islamabad. But Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on Saturday that no date could be set before the two sides agree on a “framework of understanding”, accusing Washington of maintaining a “maximalist” stance.
Donald Trump gave a series of mixed remarks on Saturday, saying Iran “got a little cute” on the Strait of Hormuz and that the US would not be “blackmailed”. The president added that US and Iranian officials remained in contact and negotiations were “working out really well”.
Earlier in the day, Trump said the US would “have to start dropping bombs again” if no deal was reached by Wednesday, when the ceasefire is due to end.
Al Jazeera’s John Holman, reporting from Washington, DC, said Trump was likely trying to frame the latest setback in the Strait of Hormuz as “a bump in the road rather than anything definitive”.
“What we don’t have so far is whether there’s going to be a second round in the negotiations, as was thought just a day or two ago,” said Holman.
Abbas Aslani, a senior fellow at the Centre for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, said Iran is facing a “dual track” of negotiations and pressure from the US.
“The first track was negotiations, but Iran has been saying that if the US is genuinely seeking an agreement, why are they engaging in a naval blockade, why are they adding sanctions, and why are they intensifying their military presence in the region?” he asked.
“There are no signs of extension of these agreements, and nobody’s talking about extending this ceasefire,” he told Al Jazeera.
Argentine forward’s brace included the match winner against Colorado Rapids in front of over 75,000 fans in Denver.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
Lionel Messi scored a brace and German Berterame headed another as Inter Miami earned a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday in Denver.
Messi scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute. He started a run just inside midfield and went unchallenged until the box, where he blasted into the upper left corner for a 3-2 lead.
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Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi each scored for Colorado (4-4-0, 12 points) in front of 75,824 at Empower Field, the second-largest crowd in MLS history.
Miami (4-1-3, 15 points) took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute after Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen’s pass was intercepted by Yannick Bright. Josh Atencio offered a hard challenge and was shown a yellow card after video review.
Messi took the resulting penalty and rolled his shot straight down the middle as Miami took a 1-0 lead.
Colorado had a solid look at the goal when midfielder Wayne Frederick attempted a one-touch lob. Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair was out of position and well beyond the penalty arc after heading away a loose ball, but Frederick’s attempt sailed over the open net.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Miami extended their lead to 2-0, connecting on a series of passes deep in their attacking third. Messi got the run of play started with a tight touch pass to Rodrigo De Paul.
De Paul sent Mateo Silvetti on a run to the boundary line. His inward-spinning cross floated to the front of goal, where Berterame rose above the Colorado defence and tucked a header under the bar.
Navarro’s goal cut Miami’s lead to 2-1. He started a run in midfield and used a step-over move to get an open shot a few steps into the box that tucked inside the left post past a diving St. Clair in the 58th minute.
In the 62nd minute, second-half substitute Yapi settled on a direct pass from Lucas Herrington and sizzled a shot past St. Clair for the equaliser.
Miami closed the win playing a man down as Yannick Bright was sent off with a red card in the 87th minute.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi scores his 13th-minute penalty against the Colorado Rapids [Geneva Heffernan/AP]
