Daily News
Iran Accuses U.S. of Breaching Ceasefire as Hormuz Remains Largely Shut
09 April 2026
Today in Brief
Markets pulled back after Iran's parliamentary speaker accused the U.S. of violating three terms of the two-week ceasefire, including Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon, even as VP Vance led a delegation to Islamabad for direct talks with Tehran.
In tech, Meta debuted its new Muse Spark AI model in a bid to close the gap with OpenAI and Google, while Anthropic lost an appeals court bid to block its Pentagon blacklisting and Disney announced plans to cut 1,000 jobs.
Asia markets trade lower as investors assess fragile Iran-U.S. ceasefire deal
Asia-Pacific markets traded lower Thursday, after Iran's parliamentary speaker charged the U.S. of breaching the terms of the two-week ceasefire agreement. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump had announced a "double sided" ceasefire, more than a month into a war with Iran. "I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," Trump said in a Truth Social post. "We received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate." The ceasefire was contingent on Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran had said that it would stop "defensive" operations if attacks on the country were halted, according to a statement from Iran's Foreign Minister. Israel has also agreed to the ceasefire, media reports said.
Dow jumps 1,300 points for best day since April 2025 as U.S.-Iran ceasefire pushes oil lower
Stocks soared Wednesday after President Donald Trump suspended attacks on Iran for two weeks, pausing a five-week conflict that closed a crucial waterway for global energy supplies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ripped 1,325.46 points higher, or 2.85%, to 47,909.92. That was the benchmark's best day since April 2025, when Trump first backed down from the severity of his initial tariff announcement. The S&P 500 popped 2.51% to 6,782.81, and the Nasdaq Composite surged 2.80% to 22,635.00. West Texas Intermediate crude futures tumbled more than 16% to close at $94.41 per barrel, its biggest daily drop since April 2020.
Gold steadied near $4,700 per ounce on Thursday following sharp swings in the previous session
Gold steadied near $4,700 per ounce on Thursday following sharp swings in the previous session, as investors assessed a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East amid sporadic fighting and lingering uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported that oil tanker transit through the strait had been halted after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, while a senior Iranian official said three provisions of the ceasefire proposal had already been breached. Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said there are indications the strait may begin reopening as he leads a US delegation to Islamabad for direct talks with Iran. Oil prices rebounded slightly and the dollar and bond yields edged higher, maintaining downward pressure on gold.
WTI crude futures jumped more than 2% toward $97 per barrel on Thursday
WTI crude futures jumped more than 2% toward $97 per barrel on Thursday, recovering part of the prior session's losses as renewed Israeli strikes on Lebanon raised doubts about the durability of a fragile Middle East ceasefire, while the Strait of Hormuz remains largely obstructed. Iranian media reported that oil tanker traffic through the strait had been suspended following the attacks, amid disputes between Tehran and the American-Israeli side over whether the truce extends to Lebanon. A senior Iranian official also stated that three provisions of the ceasefire agreement have already been breached. Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said there are indications the strait may begin reopening as he leads a US delegation to Islamabad for direct talks with Iran this weekend.
'Poorly run, piece of ice': Trump targets Greenland again as Iran war deepens NATO rift
U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have set his eyes on Greenland again while venting frustration at NATO, as the diplomatic fallout from Iran war exposes rifts in Washington's ties with the security alliance. In a Truth Social post Wednesday evening stateside, Trump said that "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!" The latest broadside comes after Trump announced a 2-week ceasefire after more than a month of fighting with Iran. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not joining the war effort in Iran, saying his call for action was "a great test," while threatening to pull out of the alliance.
Trump says U.S. ready for 'next conquest,' warns military to remain near Iran until 'real agreement' is honoured
President Donald Trump said Wednesday U.S. military forces will remain deployed in and around Iran until Tehran fully complies with the "real agreement," warning that any breach would trigger a military response larger than anything seen before. "All US ships, aircraft, and military personnel...will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "If for any reason it is not...the 'Shootin' Starts,′ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before." Trump reiterated that it was agreed that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons, and the Strait of Hormuz will be open and safe for commercial shipping.
U.S. has violated ceasefire agreement, Iran parliamentary speaker says
Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accused the U.S. on Wednesday of violating the two-week ceasefire agreement. "The deep historical distrust we hold toward the United States stems from its repeated violations of all forms of commitments — a pattern that has regrettably been repeated once again," Ghalibaf said in a statement posted on social media. Three parts of Iran's 10-point ceasefire proposal have been violated, Ghalibaf said. The violations are Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon, the entry of a drone into Iranian airspace, and the denial of the Islamic Republic's right to enrich uranium, he said. "In such situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable," the parliamentary speaker said.
Singapore expected to tighten monetary policy as energy crisis fans inflation
Singapore is poised to tighten monetary policy at a review next week, with the Middle East war driving up energy prices, stoking inflation and darkening the growth outlook at home and abroad. Out of 13 analysts polled by Reuters, 11 expect the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to tighten policy on April 14. MAS left settings unchanged in January this year, as well as in July and October last year after easing in January and April. While oil prices slid below $100 per barrel on Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, uncertainty remains around energy costs and the impact of supply chain disruptions. Standard Chartered chief economist Edward Lee said that MAS must walk a fine line between higher imported energy costs and a murkier growth outlook, noting that even production in outperforming sectors such as electronics remain vulnerable to supply disruptions in critical materials such as helium.
Meta debuts new AI model, attempting to catch Google, OpenAI after spending billions
Meta is debuting its first major artificial intelligence model since the costly hiring of Scale AI's Alexandr Wang nine months ago, as the Facebook parent aims to carve out a niche in a market that's being dominated by OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. Dubbed Muse Spark and originally code-named Avocado, the AI model announced Wednesday is the first from the company's new Muse series developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, the AI unit that Wang oversees. Wang joined Meta in June as part of the company's $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, where he was CEO. Meta is desperate to regain momentum in the fiercely competitive AI market following the disappointing debut of its latest open-source models last April. The release failed to captivate developers, leading CEO Mark Zuckerberg to change his strategy.
Anthropic loses appeals court bid to temporarily block Pentagon blacklisting
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday denied Anthropic's request to temporarily block the Department of Defense's blacklisting of the artificial intelligence company as a lawsuit challenging that sanction plays out. The ruling comes after a judge in San Francisco federal court late last month, in a separate but related case, granted Anthropic a preliminary injunction that bars the Trump administration from enforcing a ban on the use of its Claude model. With the split decisions by the two courts, Anthropic is excluded from DOD contracts but is able to continue working with other government agencies while litigation plays out. Defense contractors will be prohibited from using Claude in their work with the agency, but they can use it for other cases.
Disney plans to cut 1,000 jobs
Disney is planning to lay off as many as 1,000 positions in the coming weeks as part of an overhaul under new CEO Josh D'Amaro, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Many of the cuts will be in the company's shrinking marketing department, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The layoffs come as Disney grapples with weaker profits from its streaming services, as well as softer box office returns and increased competition in streaming. The company has laid off over 8,000 people since 2022, when Bob Iger returned as CEO and undertook a major restructuring. Plans for the latest round of layoffs had commenced even before D'Amaro was appointed as CEO earlier this year.
Intel stock jumps on tech strength and positive analyst view
Intel shares rose over 11% Wednesday amid broader strength in the technology sector and following positive analyst commentary. Lynx Equity analyst KC Rajkumar noted that the company has made progress addressing Client wafer supply issues that contributed to below-seasonal first quarter guidance provided three months ago. The analyst indicated that undersupply of Client wafers was a key factor in the earlier guidance, while unfulfilled demand remains for future quarters. Rajkumar commented, "Our checks show strong activity at Intel 7 and 14nm nodes, perhaps the strongest in recent years. These older nodes are running at full utilization, at higher wafer throughput. And yet the demand may have galloped further ahead, with the supply shortfall as much as 50% of current demand."
