Since the ceasefire on April 8 and Trump’s apparent capitulation to Iran, it appears the Iranians will levy a toll on all oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The details are still unclear, but according to The Hill, citing the Financial Times, the Iranian Republic will levy $1 per barrel of oil to be paid in bitcoin on all traffic out of the Persian Gulf.

22 April 2026

United States ruler Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran, citing a "seriously fractured government." Trump also said the ceasefire would continue “until such time as” Iran’s leaders and representatives submit a “unified proposal” to end the war with the U.S. and Israel.

22 April 2026

Germany is pushing its conscription age higher. Bastian Ernst, the newly elected president of the country’s Reservists’ Association, has said that the upper age limit for military reservists in Germany should be raised to 70, given that people stay fit longer.

22 April 2026

China has emerged as a "winner" with regard to oil sales. The country has been "aggressively" selling its reserve oil to a world experiencing a shortage and sky-high prices thanks to the United States and Israel's war with Iran.

22 April 2026

This is the worst of times for U.S. farmers. Coming into 2026, we were already in the midst of the worst farming crisis in at least 50 years. Now the war in the Middle East has caused fertilizer prices to go absolutely haywire, and a historic drought has created nightmare conditions for farmers from coast to coast. What we are witnessing is truly unprecedented.

22 April 2026

Israel's UN ambassador publicly accused France, China, and Pakistan of making secret payments to Iran for safe passage through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

21 April 2026

Iran has vowed to retaliate against the United States after it fired upon and seized a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

21 April 2026

A senior United States delegation team met with Cuban government officials in Cuba as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to pressure Havana into a deal. The U.S. is continuing to exert an economic chokehold on the island.

21 April 2026

Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Peter Magyar, has warned that he will order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters the country. This is a sharp reversal of predecessor Viktor Orban’s policy.

21 April 2026

Apparently the Trump administration was not kidding when it warned that no Iranian ships would be allowed through the blockade. Just a little while ago, Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy has blown an enormous hole in the side of an Iranian cargo vessel that willingly chose to ignore a warning to turn around. Just two days after the completely irrational euphoria that we witnessed on Friday, the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is worse than ever, and there is no end in sight.

21 April 2026