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Trump eyes power grids and water

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Hegseth Fires Army Chief of Staff After Political Promotions

The Iran escalation threat that legal experts have called a potential war crime is back on the table Monday as Trump’s naval blockade goes live and his earlier threats to destroy Iran’s power plants, bridges, and water desalination facilities remain publicly unretracted, with oil markets already pricing in the worst-case scenario for civilian infrastructure strikes.

Summary

  • Trump threatened in an expletive-laden April 5 Truth Social post to make “Tuesday Power Plant Day and Bridge Day” in Iran, warning that Iranians would be “living in Hell” if the Strait was not reopened by his deadline; the ceasefire announced April 7 temporarily shelved the threat, but the Islamabad collapse and Monday’s blockade have returned the escalation question to the center of the conflict.
  • Legal experts told PBS that targeting power plants and bridges serving civilian populations constitutes “collective punishment” and an “indiscriminate attack” under the laws of war, which are binding on US military personnel regardless of presidential direction; Iran’s military command warned in response that any strikes on civilian targets would produce “much more devastating and widespread” retaliation.
  • Iran’s water desalination infrastructure is not a theoretical target: Kuwait reported that Iranian drone attacks put one of its own water desalination stations offline during the conflict, demonstrating that both sides have already struck civilian-adjacent infrastructure and that the escalation risk runs in both directions.

As CNBC reported Monday, the blockade itself has already reignited market fears beyond just the oil price reaction, with analysts warning that Hormuz closure combined with infrastructure strikes could send Brent crude toward $150 per barrel. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters the administration “will always act within the confines of the law,” without addressing the specific legal concerns raised about power plant and water infrastructure targeting. Annie Shiel, US Director at Center for Civilians in Conflict, called Trump’s earlier threats “appalling,” saying: “President Trump is threatening to destroy infrastructure that is essential for civilian survival.”

The threat creates a risk calculation for oil markets that goes beyond the current blockade price. A strike on Iranian power infrastructure would likely trigger retaliatory strikes on Gulf Arab energy facilities, several of which Iran has already targeted during the conflict, and would pull China, India, and allied nations more directly into the confrontation.

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Power plant and bridge strikes inside Iran would represent a qualitative escalation beyond anything the US and Israel have struck so far in the conflict. Iranian power infrastructure is shared between military and civilian uses, which is precisely why legal experts say individual target-by-target analysis is required before any strike can be lawful under the laws of war. A blanket threat to take out all power plants, as Trump’s Truth Social post implied, would not meet that standard, according to retired Lieutenant Colonel Rachel VanLandingham, who called it a threat of “indiscriminate attack” on PBS.

What Iran Has Said It Would Do in Response

Iran’s central military command stated publicly that attacks on civilian targets would produce retaliation “much more devastating and widespread” than anything seen so far in the conflict. Iran still has functioning drone and missile capacity, Gulf Arab energy facilities remain within range, and Houthi forces in Yemen have the capability to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Any combination of those responses would add a new energy supply shock on top of the Hormuz disruption already in the market.

Why Markets Are Watching the April 22 Ceasefire Expiry as the Key Trigger Date

The ceasefire that temporarily shelved the power plant threat expires April 22. If talks do not resume and the blockade intensifies without a diplomatic off-ramp, the infrastructure threat becomes the next available escalation lever. Markets have priced in conflict continuation but have not yet priced in bilateral civilian infrastructure strikes at scale. The gap between current oil pricing around $103 and the $150 estimate for a full blockade plus infrastructure escalation is the market risk that the coming nine days will either resolve or crystallize.

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Senator Tillis eyes “crypto-palooza” to break stalemate over stablecoin yield regulations

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CLARITY Act Stablecoin Yield Compromise Language

A bipartisan effort to bridge the divide between Wall Street and the digital asset industry could see a breakthrough as early as this week.

Summary

  • Senator Thom Tillis plans to release a draft agreement this week aimed at resolving the dispute between banks and crypto firms over stablecoin interest payments.
  • The proposed language for the Clarity Act seeks to settle whether digital asset companies can offer rewards on idle balances after banks voiced concerns regarding deposit drains.

Politico reports that Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is preparing to unveil a draft agreement aimed at settling the fierce debate over stablecoin yields. 

Working alongside Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tillis has been refining language for the Clarity Act, a piece of legislation intended to set a regulatory framework for the crypto sector. 

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The primary sticking point remains whether digital asset firms should be permitted to pay interest on idle stablecoin balances, a practice banks claim threatens their deposit base.

“I think the language has come together well,” Tillis stated on Monday, noting that a public release depends on the continued success of ongoing discussions.

Banking representatives have already expressed concerns regarding the latest proposal from the two senators. Traditional lenders argue that high-yield stablecoin products could pull liquidity out of the banking system, creating instability. 

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Conversely, crypto platforms like Coinbase argue that a ban on rewards would hinder growth and ignore the potential for banks to participate in these new markets. 

While the GENIUS Act, passed last year, prohibited stablecoin issuers from paying interest directly, it left a loophole for third-party exchanges to offer yields, which the Clarity Act now seeks to address.

The White House has attempted to mediate the standoff through several private meetings since January, yet both sides have remained firm in their views. 

Senator Tillis has suggested hosting a “crypto-palooza” on Capitol Hill, bringing both factions together in a public forum to force a resolution. 

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Even if a compromise is reached, the bill faces a steep climb through the Senate Banking and Agriculture Committees before it can reach the floor for a final vote.

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StarkWare Cuts Jobs, Restructures Around Revenue Push

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StarkWare Cuts Jobs, Restructures Around Revenue Push

Zero-knowledge scaling company StarkWare is cutting jobs and restructuring its operations as it shifts from infrastructure development toward revenue-generating products. 

CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said in internal remarks that the firm will split into two business units and cut headcount to move faster and operate more efficiently, with one unit focused on applications and the other on Starknet development.

Ben-Sasson said the company would adopt a “startup mode” mindset, prioritizing fewer initiatives with higher revenue potential, while warning that downsizing would affect employees across the organization. StarkWare did not disclose how many employees would be affected by the cuts.

The move reflects a wider retrenchment across crypto firms, which have been trimming headcount and narrowing priorities as they chase clearer product-market fit, stronger monetization and leaner operations. Messari, Algorand Foundation and Crypto.com all announced cuts in March.

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Source: Eli Ben-Sasson

StarkWare says technical edge must translate into revenue

Ben-Sasson said StarkWare’s next phase would center on turning its technology into “meaningful revenue” and “meaningful usage,” arguing that the company could no longer rely mainly on external blockchains or third-party teams to prove the value of its stack.

Ben-Sasson said the company would focus on “fewer things excellently” and prioritize products with revenue potential that can be built only on its technological stack. 

Related: Decentralized email platform Dmail to cease services on May 15

“We’re going to achieve this by innovating across not just infrastructure, as we’ve done so far, but across the whole stack of infrastructure and product,” he said. 

Crypto layoffs continue as firms tighten strategy

StarkWare’s cuts follow other recent layoffs across the crypto sector as firms narrow priorities and reshape operations. On March 17, Messari announced layoffs alongside a leadership change as the company moved deeper into artificial intelligence-powered research and data tools for institutions. 

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On March 19, the Algorand Foundation said it would cut 25% of its employees, citing macro uncertainty and the broader crypto downturn. The organization said the move was aimed at better aligning resources with its long-term business, technology and ecosystem priorities.

On the same day, Crypto.com also announced a 12% reduction of its workforce as part of a broader push into AI. The exchange said the layoffs were tied to company-wide AI integration and a decision to prioritize resources around key growth areas.

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