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According to Bloomberg, the United States is increasing deployments in preparation for a possible resumption of military strikes against Iran. Trump has repeatedly hinted that U.S. forces may resume strikes against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections and has sent a third aircraft carrier strike group and an additional 10,000 sailors and Marines toward the Persian Gulf to provide commanders with more options, although the exact timing remains uncertain.U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper visited Israel this week without prior announcement and met with Netanyahu. Israel will hold elections on October 27. Meanwhile, after Iran-backed Houthi forces expanded the conflict to Saudi Arabia, attacking airports and energy facilities, the U.S. State Department has ordered the evacuation of some diplomatic personnel and their families stationed in Saudi Arabia.A source familiar with Iran's thinking stated that Iran is preparing for a new round of bombings that may occur before and after the U.S. midterm elections and is planning retaliatory actions in the Middle East, including against Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This individual believes that the period from the end of the U.S. elections until the new Congress is sworn in in January will be the most difficult phase, with a way out being to reach an agreement that allows both sides to claim victory. Some officials from Gulf countries are concerned that the intensity of the conflict after its resumption may exceed that before the pause.Recent diplomatic attempts to end the conflict have failed to yield results. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated this week that if there is sufficient evidence showing that the U.S. genuinely wishes to reach a fair, dignified, and permanent resolution to end the conflict, Iran is willing to give diplomacy another chance, but he also noted that there is currently not much reason to expect progress.The conflict has disrupted energy transportation in the Persian Gulf, pushing Brent crude oil prices up more than 80% this year and raising U.S. gasoline prices and living costs. A Pew Research Center survey conducted from September 28 to October 4 shows that about two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict, and about half of respondents expect the war to last more than a year. Reports indicate that concerns over military escalation are once again driving up oil prices and affecting the Republican Party's prospects in the midterm elections.

The issue surrounding the military version of the "Starlink" satellite communication system within Ukraine has led to differing opinions from the United States, Ukraine, and SpaceX. Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that the Ukrainian military faces speed limits when using "Starlink," while U.S. President Trump claimed he was unaware and stated that the speed limits had been lifted. SpaceX CEO Musk indicated that any restrictions are determined by the U.S. military and ultimately depend on the U.S. President.

According to Catcher Predict monitoring, in the Polymarket prediction market for the event "NATO and Russia Military Conflict," the sub-market "December 31" option "Yes" has experienced a dramatic fluctuation in winning probability, dropping from 49% an hour ago to the current 17.5% (a fluctuation of 31.5%). Please note the impact of related breaking news.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has prohibited all Pentagon personnel from using non-public information to place bets on upcoming military operations, involving prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket. In a memo sent to senior Pentagon officials and defense agencies on Tuesday, he stated that all Department of Defense personnel are prohibited from using non-public information for financial transactions, with the relevant restrictions covering both classified and unclassified information.Austin wrote in the memo that adversaries will observe movements in these markets, and the safety of U.S. military personnel often depends on the enemy not knowing what is about to happen. He also pointed out that, aside from operational security, financial betting can distort judgment: a logistics personnel betting on the date of an operation will be concerned about that date, and an analyst holding a position on the outcome will also be concerned about that outcome.Before this directive was issued, U.S. Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke was charged in April for allegedly profiting over $400,000 on Polymarket by using classified information regarding the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Prosecutors claimed he participated in the planning and execution of the operation and used advance knowledge to bet on the outcome of Maduro's ousting; he pleaded not guilty to all charges. In February, Israeli authorities also arrested and charged a military reservist and a civilian for allegedly using classified information to bet on events related to Israeli strikes against Iran on Polymarket.

The United States is deploying the aircraft carrier strike group "Theodore Roosevelt" and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East, expected to arrive by the end of November, increasing the number of Navy and Marine personnel by about 10,000. The "Roosevelt" carrier strike group has approximately 6,000 Navy personnel, while the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the "Makin Island" Amphibious Ready Group typically consist of about 4,200 personnel.

According to Politico, the U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs, David Satterfield, will facilitate direct dialogue between Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to achieve a ceasefire.

The Governor of the People's Bank of China, Pan Gongsheng, stated at the 2026 Financial Street Forum Annual Meeting that it will pilot further facilitation for foreign financial institutions to conduct RMB purchase and sale operations in the domestic foreign exchange market.The People's Bank plans to allow 8 domestic and foreign RMB offshore clearing banks to conduct proprietary trading in the domestic interbank foreign exchange market, promoting the integrated development of onshore and offshore markets.

The Ukrainian military reported that SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet system is facing new usage restrictions. Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski questioned Musk whether he is using the product to play politics.An advisor to the Ukrainian president stated that SpaceX has imposed restrictions on Starlink terminals, and Ukraine has not received any notification. Starlink has become an important infrastructure for communication on the Ukrainian battlefield, with Poland funding part of the costs.

An advisor to Zelensky stated that SpaceX has set speed limits on the terminals used by the Ukrainian military.

Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that the Russian military's ballistic missile strikes specifically targeted energy infrastructure, which is exactly what the ceasefire agreement announced by the U.S. President covers.

According to Israel's Channel 12, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has had multiple conversations with U.S. President Trump to discuss the possibility of launching a large-scale joint military strike against Iran before the Israeli parliamentary elections on October 27 and the U.S. midterm elections on November 3.Netanyahu is pushing for action citing new developments in Iran's nuclear sector, but the U.S. has not made any substantial commitments yet.

The cryptocurrency trading platform CoinSwitch's co-founder Ashish Singhal's related independent investment institution CoinSwitch Ventures has been renamed BlackLane Capital. The company announced on October 13 that it plans to facilitate over $100 million in startup financing over the next five years through its own investments, as well as the networks of founders, investors, and strategic partners.BlackLane Capital will invest in fintech, enterprise infrastructure, consumer applications, and digital assets, with individual check sizes up to $5 million, higher than the previous average of about $100,000 to $200,000. The institution previously focused on Web3, blockchain, and token projects, and the expanded investment scope will focus on businesses aimed at large markets with the potential for cross-regional expansion.Singhal stated that the allocation of funds will shift from the previous approximately 50% tokens and 50% equity to about 90% direct equity and 10% others. Since its establishment in 2023, the institution has invested in Stan, Deconflict, Yousend, and Uniblock.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin stated that U.S. President Trump is not expected to engage in any military conflict before the midterm elections. The diesel trade with Russia is beneficial for Americans, and we will utilize all legal authorities to conduct diesel transactions with Russia.

According to U.S. officials, despite Trump's fluctuating attitude towards restarting the war against Iran, the U.S. military is preparing plans to resume large-scale military operations against Iran.The U.S. Department of Defense has developed a new three-day strike plan against Iran, with three aircraft carriers set to be deployed in the Middle East.

The United States Central Command stated that in recent months, the U.S. military has supported the transport of over 1.25 billion barrels of crude oil from Gulf partner countries and through the Strait of Hormuz. In contrast, due to the U.S. iron-fisted blockade of Iranian ports, Iran has failed to export a single barrel of crude oil.

German Chancellor Merz announced a military aid package worth approximately 1 billion euros to Ukraine.

According to Al Arabiya TV, the Iraqi Hezbollah announced that with the end of the coalition mission, all military operations will be suspended starting today, and negotiations will begin regarding the issue of weapons.

U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm stated that the U.S. military is assisting in the transportation of oil, natural gas, and fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz, with nearly 13 million barrels of oil being transported through the strait daily.

According to BBX data, yesterday, publicly listed companies in the U.S. and cross-border financial infrastructure disclosed the latest developments in the restructuring of cryptocurrency businesses and global compliance stablecoin settlements. The core information is as follows:Hyperscale Data (NYSE: $GPUS) established a subsidiary, Patriot BTC, to independently undertake mining operations and assets: Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin mining company and AI data center infrastructure company Hyperscale Data officially announced the establishment of a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Patriot BTC. The purpose of this subsidiary is to hold and operate the company's cryptocurrency mining business, mining machines, and related on-chain assets as a completely independent business entity, in order to further optimize the overall asset structure of the parent company and align with the implementation of the AI computing power center strategy.Reap plans to launch multi-national local currency stablecoins to build a 24/7 on-chain foreign exchange trading network: The multinational payment technology platform Reap, which has received strategic support from Kraken's parent company Payward and is a core partner of Visa, announced plans to successively launch local currency stablecoins in multiple countries and regions to achieve 24/7 on-chain foreign exchange settlements. Reap will first launch the Mexican Peso (MXN) stablecoin and is accelerating the exploration of issuing various local currency stablecoins, including the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), Euro (EUR), South Korean Won (KRW), and Japanese Yen (JPY). This layout aims to completely break the physical limitations of traditional commercial bank operating hours, providing multinational companies with efficient and low-friction on-chain cross-border foreign exchange clearing solutions during nighttime and weekends.

The commander of the U.S. Central Command, Brad Cooper, stated that the main shipping channel in the Strait of Hormuz has completed mine clearance, allowing thousands of vessels to pass through.The Gulf region partners have exported over 1 billion barrels of crude oil, with the volume of crude oil, cargo, and liquefied natural gas transported in the past two weeks reaching the highest level in six months.