Iran confirms assassination of Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council

2026-03-18 by admin

BlockBeats News, March 18, Iranian media confirmed that Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has been killed. (Jin10)

PANews reported on March 18 that, according to Jinshi News, US President Trump expressed anger on Tuesday over the reluctance of allies to participate in the anti-piracy escort mission in the Strait of Hormuz. During a meeting with the Irish Prime Minister at the White House, Trump fiercely criticized British Prime Minister Starmer and French President Macron. Trump stated that he was disappointed in Starmer, saying that before Starmer took office, US-UK relations were "the best," and mocked Starmer as "not Churchill" and ineffective. Trump criticized Macron's leadership, saying he would soon be out of office. When asked if withdrawing from NATO should be considered, Trump said, "That's something to consider. I don't need Congress to make that decision." However, he added that there were no concrete plans at present, but he was not satisfied with the current situation. Previously, Trump criticized NATO on social media, saying that most NATO "allies" were unwilling to be involved in military action against Iran, and that the US no longer needed NATO's assistance, specifically naming Japan, Australia, and South Korea. Republican Senator Graham, after meeting with Trump, said that Trump had never been so angry.

BlockBeats News, March 18: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed criminal charges on Tuesday against prediction market platform Kalshi, accusing it of offering illegal wagering services within the state, including allowing users to bet on sports events and election outcomes.Mayes stated in a declaration that while Kalshi positions itself as a 'prediction market,' it is actually operating an illegal gambling business and allowing users to wager on Arizona elections, violating local laws. 'No company can decide for itself which laws to follow.'Prosecution documents show that Kalshi faces a total of 20 criminal charges, including allowing Arizona residents to bet on various events such as professional and college sports, player performance bets, and election outcomes. The charges also include four counts related to election betting, involving the 2028 U.S. presidential election, the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial election, the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary, and the 2026 Secretary of State election.Kalshi responded that these charges are 'seriously flawed' and described the state attorney general's actions as a 'political maneuver.' The platform has long maintained that its event contracts fall under the regulatory scope of the Commodity Exchange Act and should be overseen by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), arguing that federal regulation should take precedence over state laws.Currently, Kalshi faces similar regulatory challenges in multiple states including Ohio and Tennessee, as the legal dispute over whether prediction markets constitute gambling continues to escalate.

Ethereum is waking up. After bleeding down to the $1,840 range earlier this year and testing the nerves of spot holders, ETH has caught a serious bid, pushing its way back above the $2,300 level. If you look at the charts, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) flagged this bounce weeks ago when the market hit peak exhaustion. But what we are seeing now isn't just a technical dead-cat bounce. It is being driven by a fundamental shift in how Wall Street interacts with Ethereum's supply. Here is the Tapbit desk breakdown of the new ETF mechanics driving this rally, and the critical resistance levels you need to watch. The Supply Black Hole: BlackRock’s ETHB source: coinmarketcap The main engine behind this week's price action is the official launch of BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (Ticker: ETHB). This is not a standard spot ETF. It fundamentally changes the supply-and-demand math for Ethereum. Here is how it works: Instead of just holding the crypto in a cold wallet, the fund takes up to 95% of its ETH and stakes it through Coinbase Prime. Wall Street investors who buy the ETF receive roughly 82% of the gross staking rewards (yielding around 3.1% annually), paid out as monthly income. For the crypto market, this creates a massive supply shock. Traditional investors no longer have to choose between the regulatory safety of an ETF and the yield of holding actual ETH—they get both. Every dollar that flows into ETHB effectively removes liquid Ethereum from the spot market and locks it into a validator node. With BlackRock aggressively pricing its sponsor fee at just 0.12% for the first year, institutional capital is heavily incentivized to park its funds here. The Technical Setup: Defending $2,300 What makes this recovery impressive is the macro backdrop. Throughout late February and early March, the broader financial markets were shaken by geopolitical tensions. Instead of breaking down, Ethereum absorbed the panic selling and formed a series of higher lows, creating a classic "rounding bottom" formation on the daily chart. Right now, ETH is trading in the $2,310 range. The path of least resistance is up, but the market has to chew through some heavy overhead supply first. The Breakout Target: Immediate resistance is sitting tight between $2,320 and $2,350. If buyers can force a daily candle close above $2,350, the technical setup is clear for a rapid run toward the $2,400 to $2,500 zone. The Downside Risk: Momentum can shift quickly. If ETF inflows cool off, ETH needs to hold local support at $2,180. If that floor cracks, traders will be looking at $2,050 as the line in the sand. A high-volume drop below $2,050 invalidates the current bullish structure. How to Trade This on Tapbit With institutional money changing the liquidity dynamics of Ethereum, intraday volatility around these key levels will be high. Watch the Inflows: Keep an eye on the daily volume and inflows for the ETHB ticker. Consistent Wall Street buying provides a heavy spot bid that will limit the downside of normal market pullbacks. Play the Levels: If you are trading the breakout, watch for volume confirmation above $2,350. Use Tapbit's advanced perpetual contracts to set strict stop-losses just below the $2,180 support to protect your capital from sudden liquidation wicks. Execute Your Trade: Log in to Tapbit to trade the ETH/USDT pair with deep liquidity, zero slippage, and an institutional-grade matching engine. FAQ: The Quick Breakdown Why did Ethereum bounce back above $2,300? The recovery was sparked by technical indicators showing ETH was heavily oversold, but the sustained push above $2,300 is largely due to the launch of BlackRock's new yield-bearing Ethereum ETF, which is driving fresh institutional demand. How does the new BlackRock ETF affect ETH price? The iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) actually stakes the Ethereum it holds to generate yield for traditional investors. This locks up the ETH, removing it from the circulating supply on exchanges, which creates upward pressure on the spot price. What is the next major price target for Ethereum? ETH needs to clear the immediate resistance zone of $2,320–$2,350. If it breaks through that ceiling with strong volume, the next major target is the $2,400 to $2,500 range. What happens if the price drops? If the current rally fails, the first line of defense for buyers is $2,180. If that support breaks, the market will likely test $2,050. Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile. Always conduct your own technical and fundamental research before executing trades.

XRP just reclaimed a position it hasn't held in weeks. Following a 125% explosion in trading volume, XRP broke through heavy resistance to trade at $1.51. This price action pushed its total market capitalization to $92.8 billion, officially allowing it to overtake Binance Coin (BNB)—currently sitting at $91.8 billion—to become the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market value. While clearing the $1.50 hurdle is a notable technical milestone, a look at the derivatives market reveals that this breakout is being aggressively fueled by leveraged futures traders, creating a setup that requires caution. The Open Interest Surge To understand the mechanics of this rally, we need to look at open interest (OI)—the total number of outstanding derivative contracts. According to CoinGlass data, XRP open interest on Binance has climbed to 353.49 million XRP. For context, on October 24, 2025, when XRP was trading significantly higher at $2.39, open interest was only at 222.79 million. That represents a 59% increase in open interest, even though the current spot price remains 37% lower than that previous level. This indicates that traders are not simply buying spot XRP; they are actively stacking new, highly leveraged long positions into this recovery. It is a fundamentally different market setup from the heavy deleveraging we saw throughout January and February. Approaching Pre-Crash Leverage Rising open interest provides the capital needed to punch through resistance, but it also builds market fragility. The historical data on the Binance OI chart paints a clear picture. Open interest peaked just above 400 million XRP in September 2025. Shortly after, the October crash wiped out those leveraged bets, dragging the price from $3.65 down to below $2.00. Following that flush, the market spent four months slowly rebuilding. At 353 million, the current open interest is steadily creeping back toward those pre-crash levels. The market still has some room to add leverage before hitting the extreme concentration that preceded the last wipeout. However, building pre-crash leverage levels while the spot price is still 58% below its peak is a setup that works perfectly—until it suddenly doesn't. Defending the $1.50 Zone With XRP successfully flipping BNB, the technical focus shifts entirely to the $1.50 to $1.60 zone. XRP has a recent history of failed breakouts since last October. The current buildup of open interest gives this move more structural support than previous attempts, meaning bulls have the capital to defend the newly claimed territory. However, $1.50 must now act as a concrete support floor. If XRP loses this level, the heavy concentration of leveraged longs will become a liability, increasing the risk of cascading liquidations. Trade the Market on Tapbit With XRP testing critical multi-month levels and leverage building fast, the market is presenting high-volatility opportunities for active traders. Monitor the Order Books: Watch how XRP reacts to minor pullbacks toward $1.50. A successful retest of this level as support will signal continued strength. Manage Your Risk: In high-OI environments, liquidation wicks are common. Use Tapbit's advanced perpetual futures to set strict stop-losses to protect your downside. Execute Your Strategy: Log in to Tapbit to trade the XRP/USDT and BNB/USDT pairs with deep liquidity, or Register your free account to access our institutional-grade matching engine. Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only. The cryptocurrency derivatives market carries extreme volatility and liquidation risks. Always conduct independent technical and fundamental analysis before executing trades.