Main news by April 8: pause on Iran, market rises, AI companies unite
Key events by the morning of April 8 Key events by the morning of April 8 Trump agreed to pause strikes on Iran for two weeks on the condition of opening the Strait of Hormuz — this immediately collapsed oil prices. At the same time, A
Key events by the morning of April 8
Trump agreed to pause strikes on Iranian infrastructure for two weeks if Tehran ensures free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The decision was made after negotiations with the leadership of Pakistan. Iran confirmed its readiness to open a safe corridor during this period.
Trump pauses on Iran
Donald Trump stated that the U.S. is ready to postpone strikes on Iranian infrastructure for two weeks if Tehran ensures free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The decision was made after negotiations with the leadership of Pakistan. Iran confirmed its readiness to open a safe corridor during this period.
The market reacted instantly: June Brent futures fell by more than 16% — to $91.7 per barrel at the day's low. May WTI futures also dropped by more than 16% — to about $91.
Both sides declared the pause as their victory. The U.S. speaks of progress towards a peace agreement, while Iran claims acceptance of its terms. Direct negotiations are planned to be held in Pakistan.
Anthropic creates an alliance against AI cyberattacks
Anthropic announced a partnership with Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft to counter cyberattacks using AI. As part of the Project Glasswing, the Claude Mythos Preview model was introduced, available to a limited number of organizations.
According to the company, the system has already detected thousands of critical vulnerabilities, including old bugs in operating systems and browsers. The solution is planned to be used to protect infrastructure and open-source projects.
TikTok builds a new data center in Finland
TikTok plans to invest €1 billion in a second data center in Finland — in the city of Lahti. The project will be part of a program to transfer European users' data to the EU, with a total cost of €12 billion.
The center is designed for more than 200 million users, with an initial capacity of 50 MW, expandable to 128 MW. The first data center is expected to be operational by the end of the year, and the second by 2027.
Musk demands removal of OpenAI leadership
Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit demanding the removal of Sam Altman and Greg Brockman from the management of OpenAI. He accuses the company of straying from its original non-profit mission and misleading him while raising $38 million.
Musk demands that the organization return to a fully non-profit model and seeks compensation of up to $134 billion. The case is set to be heard at the end of April.
Alphabet's investment in SpaceX could rise to $100 billion
The head of Alphabet stated that the investment in SpaceX from 2015 ($900 million at a valuation of $12 billion) could now be worth around $100 billion. The potential growth is linked to the merger of SpaceX with xAI and the preparation for an IPO with a valuation of up to $1.75 trillion.
Alphabet continues to actively invest in AI — over $3 billion has been invested in Anthropic, along with funding for other technology projects.
What’s happening in the markets
— Japan: Topix +3.3%, Nikkei +5.3%
— Hong Kong: Hang Seng +3.2%
— China: CSI 300 +2.9%
— South Korea: Kospi +7.3%, Kosdaq +4.5%
— Australia: S&P/ASX 200 +2.6%
— U.S. futures: S&P 500 +2.5%, Nasdaq +3.1%, Dow Jones +2.3%