Trump Says Talks With Iran Could Resume Soon
By Lantern Finance
16 Apr 2026
BTC hit $72,000 on the ceasefire announcement.
Then on April 13–14, the market bounced even harder, breaking through a wall of leveraged shorts stacked between $72,000 and $73,500, reaching $75,000+.
Over $425 million in short positions were liquidated in 24 hours as the crypto market rallied.
As of today, BTC is holding around $73,900–$74,200.
Despite failed peace talks, the market is pushing higher on hopes that the worst of the war is behind us.
Blockade the blockaders
After Round 1 of the peace talks collapsed, Trump ordered the Navy to blockade any ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
CENTCOM confirmed it's "fully implemented" with over 10,000 troops, warships, and aircraft enforcing it. At least 6–8 Iran-linked tankers have already been turned around. Economic seaborne trade in and out of Iran has, per military statement, been completely halted.
90% of Iran’s economy is dependent on international trade by sea. This move is putting extreme economic pressure on Iran to return to negotiations.
XRP Just Got 44 Million New Users in Japan
Rakuten (Japan's equivalent of Amazon) has integrated XRP directly into its payments app. All 44 million Rakuten users can now buy XRP with Rakuten Points, spot trade it in-app, and spend it across more than 5 million merchant locations across Japan.
XRP is now embedded in a major consumer ecosystem that hundreds of millions of people interact with daily.
While All That Was Happening, DeFi Lost $285 Million
While the ceasefire rally was running, Drift Protocol was getting drained.
$285 million gone. The largest DeFi hack of 2026 and the second-largest exploit on Solana ever. Funds were quickly linked to North Korea.
The attack came from a zero-timelock migration and so-called "god-mode" admin privileges baked into the protocol's smart contracts. No human was watching. No one had a chance to intervene. The code just... executed.
At Lantern, your collateral never touches a smart contract. It sits in BitGo's insured cold storage custody with no way to be exploited.
Where Things Stand Right Now (April 15)
The 14-day clock expires April 22. Here's the current status:
The fragile part: Round 1 of talks collapsed. The US has now enacted a full naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The optimistic part: Trump went on record today saying the war is "very close to over" and hinted at a second round of talks in the next 48 hours. Pakistan is actively offering to host again. The blockade looks less like escalation and more like leverage.
The market is currently pricing in "negotiation extension.” If Round 2 kicks off before April 22, expect another leg up.
Lantern Updates
Three quick things from our end this week.
Texting is back. SMS is fully restored after our provider switch. Calls, email, and texts are all up at (415) 365-0100 or [email protected].
You can now update your default bank. Head to your settings page to swap in a new default payout account anytime.
Autofunding is coming to upsizes. We're adding the ability to select your bank directly at the upsize step, so funding flows automatically without any extra steps. Rolling out very soon, stay tuned.
What This Means If You're Holding Crypto
The pattern from every major shock over the past decade is consistent: Bitcoin sells off first as people cover liquidity, then snaps back harder than any other asset. After the April 2025 tariff shock, BTC rose 24%.
Bitcoin-backed loans at Lantern start at 8%, and funding is now same-day, including weekends.
Borrow against your crypto here: https://lantern.finance/borrow
Until next week, The Lantern Team
