[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Trump Says He Has Authority to Resume Attacks on Iran, Warns of Powerful Strikes

Trump Says He Has Authority to Resume Attacks on Iran, Warns of Powerful Strikes

President Trump said the United States could deliver powerful strikes against Iran and that he has the authority to resume attacks on the country.

According to Odaily, Trump said he wants to reach a meaningful agreement with Iran and urged Tehran to sign it.

The remarks come as tensions between the United States and Iran continue, adding geopolitical uncertainty that could weigh on risk sentiment.

Axios: U.S. and Iran Continue Talks Through Qatari Mediation Despite Ongoing Clashes

According to Odaily, Axios reported that U.S. and Iranian officials have continued negotiations through Qatari mediation channels even amid active hostilities.

Regional sources said officials from both sides held separate meetings with Qatari mediators in Doha over the past two days. Qatar reportedly attempted to arrange a trilateral meeting to directly address the remaining issues, but Iran rejected the proposal.

Qatari mediators visited Tehran on Wednesday and met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and others in an effort to restart negotiations. U.S. officials reportedly said the recent strike operation and Trump’s warnings were part of a strategy to pressure Iran’s response.

Trump: Secret Mission Ordered for U.S. Military to Support Tankers in the Strait of Hormuz

Trump said he directed the U.S. military last month to carry out a secret mission to support oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Watcher.Guru, the remarks came as tensions between the United States and Iran remain elevated. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical artery for global crude shipments, and any instability there could affect oil prices and broader risk-asset sentiment.

Mastercard Launches AP4M Infrastructure for AI and Machine Payments, Including Stablecoins

Mastercard has launched AP4M, a payment infrastructure designed to support micropayments between AI agents and machines. The platform aims to reduce costs and settlement delays for frequent low-value transactions, including those using stablecoins.

PANews, citing The Block, reported that Mastercard introduced AP4M for AI agents and machines. The system runs on Mastercard’s global network and supports card payments, bank account transfers, and stablecoin transactions.

The platform combines AI identity verification with access controls, allowing users to set approval rules and spending limits. Initial partners include more than 30 firms, such as Coinbase, OKX, Polygon, Solana, Ripple, MoonPay, and Ava Labs.

Mastercard has previously expanded support for stablecoin payments involving USDC, PYUSD, and RLUSD, and has also acquired stablecoin startup BVNK.

Odaily: SpaceX IPO Could Create Short-Term Selling Pressure for Bitcoin and Ethereum

According to Odaily, analysts said a SpaceX initial public offering could create short-term selling pressure in the crypto market, including for Bitcoin and other digital assets.

SpaceX is reportedly planning to issue shares at $135 each, raise $75 billion, and target a valuation of about $1.77 trillion. As much as 30% of the allocation may go to retail investors, raising the possibility that some investors could sell high-risk assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum to fund IPO participation.

A GSR trading executive said crypto could serve as a funding source for some investors seeking to join the IPO. The market has also speculated that if major offerings from SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic proceed, capital could temporarily rotate out of crypto.

Still, some analysts say a SpaceX listing could boost on-chain trading demand. Platforms such as Hyperliquid and Binance already offer SpaceX-related perpetual contracts and tokenized stock products.

Raydium Legacy AMM V3 Exploit Causes $1.34 Million Loss

According to Wu Blockchain, an exploit affecting a deprecated legacy AMM V3 program on Raydium resulted in losses of about $1.34 million.

The attacker reportedly exploited a flaw in LP mint verification to bypass ratio checks. Raydium said only inactive legacy AMM V3 pools were affected, and that its current mainnet programs, SDK, and dApp were not impacted.

Raydium said it will fully compensate affected users and is conducting security reviews across all mainnet programs.

Helius Acquires Light Protocol to Build ZK Privacy Infrastructure on Solana

According to Odaily, Solana infrastructure company Helius has acquired Light Protocol. The Light Protocol team will refocus on developing privacy solutions for Solana.

Founded in 2021, Light Protocol developed zero-knowledge-proof-based privacy tools for Solana and later worked with Helius on ZK Compression. Released in 2024, the technology is intended to reduce on-chain data storage costs and support large-scale consumer and enterprise applications.

Through the acquisition, Helius plans to combine Light Protocol’s cryptographic technology with its own infrastructure and distribution capabilities to build a ZK privacy protocol on Solana. Potential use cases include private payments and private DeFi.

Helius said it plans to make the related privacy infrastructure available to developers in the coming months. The deal comes amid rising M&A activity in the digital asset sector and renewed demand for on-chain privacy.

Tether Investments Leads Series C Round in Humanoid Robotics Firm Neura Robotics

According to Odaily, Tether Investments, an affiliate of Tether, led the Series C funding round for humanoid robotics company Neura Robotics.

The round was reported to be worth as much as $1.4 billion, setting a new record for private investment in robotics and physical AI.

Neura Robotics develops cognitive robotic systems, including humanoid robots, precision robotic arms, autonomous mobile robots, and service robots.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said that as robots become more autonomous, the supporting financial and intelligence infrastructure must also advance, adding that WDK and QVAC will help machines operate and transact independently.

Senator Cynthia Lummis: Other Nations Are Quietly Accumulating Bitcoin, U.S. Should Pursue It Publicly

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis said other countries are quietly accumulating Bitcoin and argued that the United States should pursue such a strategy openly and under the rule of law.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, Lummis made the remarks while continuing to support the idea of a strategic Bitcoin reserve in the United States.

Crypto Futures Liquidations Reach $363 Million in 24 Hours, With BTC at $100 Million and ETH at $78.74 Million

According to CoinGlass, total liquidations in the crypto futures market reached $363 million over the past 24 hours.

Of that total, long liquidations accounted for $233 million and short liquidations for $131 million. Bitcoin liquidations came to $100 million, while Ethereum liquidations totaled $78.74 million.