WS #8042

The dominant narrative remains the US-Iran ceasefire extension and potential nuclear framework deal, which is ESCALATING toward resolution. Multiple high-significance sources corroborate that a 60-day ceasefire extension with a nuclear framework is nearing completion. The Financial Times reports mediators believe a deal is near, including gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, discussion of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, eased sanctions, and phased unfreezing of Iranian assets. CNBC and SeekingAlpha both carry the FT report. Axios reports Trump will decide by Sunday after meeting with advisers. A new data point from a Reuters-sourced Bluesky post indicates Trump will hold a conference call Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan to discuss Iran. This counters the prevailing bearish oil/geopolitical risk thesis. However, Iran sends 'mixed' messages per Al Jazeera, with Pakistani mediators departing Tehran, indicating some uncertainty. Bitcoin has dived below $75K for the first time in a month, with crypto liquidations near $1 billion, per Decrypt. This is a notable market move but may be noise relative to the macro geopolitical signal. In corporate news, a TSLA buyer activity note is a minor positive for Tesla, but no major new developments. The bulk of the data dump is noise: sports betting, weather predictions, and routine news. The narrative arc is ESCALATING on the US-Iran deal front (toward resolution), while the Ukraine-Russia energy war continues to escalate with Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil terminals.