律动BlockBeats

BlockBeats report: On August 26, an overview of the latest developments in the Middle East situation is as follows:
Russian media citing sources: The US and Iran have reached consensus on the terms of a ceasefire agreement, which includes free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. It is expected to be released within the next few days.
Iran says that a temporary routing understanding for the Strait of Hormuz has been reached, allowing passage for merchant ships only.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Garibabadi: We have our own ways to respond to any U.S. proposal, including confrontation, escalation, and sanctions.
On Monday, only one bulk cargo ship transited the Strait of Hormuz, the lowest since May 7.

BlockBeats消息，8月26日，据日经新闻报道，日本正筹备建立基于区块链技术的支付基础设施，以实现股票和日本国债交易的即时结算。金融厅、财务省、日本央行及相关金融机构将于今年夏季启动研究小组，最早于2027年初制定开发计划，内容包括区块链设计、各机构职责分工及未来路线图。若计划获正式批准，系统有望在数年内建成，最快在2030年代初期投入运行，并可能进一步扩展至国际汇款领域。

BlockBeats news. On August 26, Iran’s Islamic Republic of Broadcasting and Television reported that Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Garibabadi said that, according to a new understanding reached between Iran and Oman regarding the Hormuz Strait route, the route entering the Persian Gulf will pass through Iranian waters, and the route leaving the Persian Gulf will pass through Oman and Iranian waters. No warships may pass through the strait; only merchant ships may transit.
Garibabadi said that the understanding between Iran and Oman does not mean that the Hormuz Strait will be opened immediately. The above transit arrangement is a temporary measure, and the two countries will hold talks within the next 30 to 60 days to establish a new permanent route. Garibabadi emphasized that if Iran’s demands and conditions are not met, the Hormuz Strait will remain closed. He said that the prerequisites for reopening the strait include the complete cessation of all hostilities, including those on the Lebanese front, lifting the blockade, and properly resolving the situation in Yemen. In addition, the United States must fully carry out all commitments it previously failed to fulfill. Garibabadi said the U.S. claim that it has cleared mines in the Hormuz Strait is a "propaganda lie," and Iran will target U.S. minesweepers entering the area.

BlockBeats message: On August 26, after Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau announced reciprocal retaliatory measures against new tariffs the United States is imposing, the Trump administration is discussing further trade sanctions against Canada. A White House official said that the United States’ further escalation measures toward its northern neighbor may include raising tariffs and other trade actions, and that the U.S. government is expected to respond to Canada’s latest move. The official noted that President Trump has a range of tools that can be used to handle this dispute if U.S.-Canada trade negotiations break down.

BlockBeats report, August 26, according to Axios: the U.S. Navy has cleared the main shipping channel in the Strait of Hormuz, specifically the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) that separates traffic between Iran and Oman, allowing more tankers to pass.
According to U.S. officials, over the past few months, U.S. Navy underwater drones have conducted systematic scanning of the region, discovering more than 100 suspected mine-like objects. The U.S. military then worked with a private company to clear or detonate the mines. In the past 30 days, more than 500 vessels have transited through the southern strait route in and out, and only about 2% have been hit by Iranian drone or missile attacks.

BlockBeats message: On August 26, Saudi Arabia has recently been pushing the “Mecca Accord” with Turkey and Pakistan, and is also considering inviting Iran to join, sparking market discussion about the future of the Middle East security landscape and the “petrodollar” system. Analysts believe the more important significance of this arrangement may not be solely about strengthening regional military cooperation, but rather reflecting that some Middle Eastern countries are seeking to reduce their single, exclusive reliance on US security guarantees.
The “Mecca Accord” envisions establishing a collective security mechanism among member states: any armed attack on a member state would be considered an attack on all members. If Iran ultimately joins, this mechanism would bring Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran into the same security framework, creating a regional cooperation network spanning Sunni and Shia countries.

BlockBeats report: On August 26, analyst Citrini posted an analysis by Jukan, stating that OpenAI’s "Jalapeño" AI chip may not be able to reach the level of Nvidia’s Rubin platform in terms of scaling up. He believes that if OpenAI’s HBM4 high-bandwidth memory fully depends on Samsung for supply, the ramp-up in production capacity will face a certain upper limit.
Jukan further points out that if OpenAI wants to further expand the deployment of its "Jalapeño" and scale up production, it may need to lower requirements for specifications such as HBM4 transfer speeds so it can also adopt HBM4 products from other suppliers, thereby alleviating supply-chain constraints.

BlockBeats report: On August 25, a joint statement by Iran and Oman showed that: during a working visit to Iran, Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Busaidi held constructive consultations with Iran’s Foreign Minister Aragchi. The consultations focused on a matter highly valued by both countries: restoring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while safeguarding each country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights.
In light of recent wars and their disastrous consequences, the situation in the Strait has changed. The foreign ministers of the two countries discussed a phased framework that can provide a practical, implementable foundation for moving the situation forward. The proposed framework includes establishing a temporary joint maritime corridor in the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to carry out a joint project to clear sea mines in the Strait.

BlockBeats message: As the U.S. trade offensive against Canada continued to escalate on August 25, pushback emerged in the United States against remarks by the Trump administration toward Canada. Multiple U.S. national security officials, retired military figures, and Republican lawmakers publicly criticized the comments, saying they were “embarrassing for the United States” and damaging this long-standing alliance.
After U.S.-Canada trade talks broke down last Friday, Trump again blasted Canada on Tuesday. He even proposed renaming Lake Ontario to the “American Lake” and said the U.S. “doesn’t expect to do much business with Ontario anymore.” Vice President Vance had earlier joked during a speech in Maine that Canada was “a state” of the U.S., and he again referenced the claim that Canada would become the U.S.’ “51st state.”

BlockBeats message: On August 25, in the Robinhood Chain ecosystem, the decentralized trading platform Arcus launched the pToken protocol, tokenizing custodial perpetual futures contract accounts into transferable ERC-20 tokens. This allows users to gain leveraged asset exposure without directly managing margin and positions, and to use pTokens for on-chain protocols such as lending.
Arcus表示，每个pToken代表在特定市场、固定杠杆倍数下永续合约账户的按比例所有权，用户可像交易现货代币一样买卖。目前已推出BTC、SOL、HYPE等资产的杠杆产品，包括pBTC、pBTC3x等，同时支持pHOOD3x等股票代币的杠杆产品。

BlockBeats message, August 25: Although the earnings report Nvidia is about to release and a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Powell at the Jackson Hole Symposium are the main events investors are watching this week, traders in the stock derivatives market have already begun preparing for potential increases in volatility around the U.S. midterm elections in November.
Volatility traders closely monitoring futures markets linked to the volatility index VIX say there are signs that demand for hedging S&P 500 index volatility has increased around and ahead of the election. VIX futures expiring in September are currently trading at about 17.4, the October contract has risen to 19, and the November contract has further climbed to 19.7.

BlockBeats message: On August 25, according to (The New York Times), the U.S. Department of State is preparing to gradually bring back some diplomatic personnel who had previously been evacuated from the Middle East due to the U.S.-Iran war, with some of them possibly resuming their duties as early as this week.
U.S. embassies and consulates in places including Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait will all increase staffing levels, and some missions plan to restore to full establishment. Analysts believe this move suggests that the Trump administration may be judging that the conflict is nearing its end, but restricting the return of diplomats’ family members also indicates that local security risks remain higher than pre-war levels.