Evening digest: Trump Iran deal hopes rise, oil climbs on risks

President Donald Trump said prospects for a deal with Iran are improving, signaling potential progress in geopolitical tensions.

Oil prices moved higher as supply concerns persisted despite ongoing negotiations.

Bitcoin pulled back after failing to break key resistance, while the White House advanced plans to provide Anthropic’s AI model to federal agencies amid cybersecurity concerns.

Trump signals progress in US-Iran deal talks

President Donald Trump said prospects for a deal with Iran are “looking very good,” raising hopes that ongoing negotiations could extend a fragile truce.

“It’s looking very good that we’re going to make a deal with Iran, and it’s going to be a good deal,” Trump told reporters, adding that talks could resume as soon as this weekend.

Trump said Iran may have agreed to key conditions, including abandoning ambitions for a nuclear weapon and allowing oversight of nuclear material, though Tehran has not confirmed these claims. He also pointed to provisions involving “free oil” and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“They’ve agreed to almost everything,” Trump said. “They got to get to the table with a pen.”

The optimism contrasts with views from Gulf Arab and European leaders, who expect a deal to take months.

Meanwhile, Trump also announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, aimed at easing broader regional tensions.

Crude oil rises as supply concerns persist

Oil markets remained on edge, with prices climbing as uncertainty around supply disruptions continued to dominate sentiment.

Brent crude rose more than 3% to around $98.62 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate traded above $93.

The gains came despite hopes that diplomatic efforts could eventually restore flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy shipments.

“The forward curves for Brent, and to a lesser extent WTI, continue to show backwardation, in other words, short-term supply issues which ease up over the rest of the year,” said David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation.

“But this backwardation is not as steep, or indeed as regular as it was a week ago. That suggests some nuances are coming back into pricing, which also suggests that the overall situation may be considered clearer than it was recently.”

The conflict has significantly disrupted global energy markets, with estimates suggesting around 13 million barrels per day of supply has been affected.

Bitcoin trades above $75,000

Bitcoin posted gains to trade above the $75,000 level.

The cryptocurrency reversed its drop from around $73,500 to trade at the $75,000 level, posting a 0.19% gain in the last 24 hours.

The $75,000-$76,000 is an important resistance zone for Bitcoin and breaking above it is crucial for further upside.

Robinhood shares fell while companies like Coinbase and Strategy gained as the top cryptocurrency posted modest gains.

The positive move came after US indices hit a fresh intraday high on Thursday.

White House moves to expand access to Anthropic AI model

The White House is preparing to make a version of Anthropic’s advanced AI model, Mythos, available to federal agencies, said a Bloomberg report.

Gregory Barbaccia, federal chief information officer, said officials are developing safeguards before any rollout.

“We’re working closely with model providers, other industry partners, and the intelligence community to ensure the appropriate guardrails and safeguards are in place before potentially releasing a modified version of the model to agencies,” Barbaccia wrote.

The model has been limited to select organizations due to concerns it could be misused by hackers. Officials have warned it could significantly enhance the ability to identify vulnerabilities in critical systems.

The move underscores the dual-use nature of advanced AI, offering both defensive cybersecurity benefits and potential risks if deployed without sufficient controls.

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