Trump Talks Up Iran Diplomacy; Chip Rout Deepens on China Competition

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:

1) The US and Iran extended their pause in hostilities, with the focus turning to talks between Tehran and Oman over restarting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Omani and Iranian negotiators met in Tehran over the weekend and discussions are ongoing, according to people familiar with the situation, asking not to be identified referring to sensitive matters. A deal to get ships moving through the waterway more frequently would enable the Islamic Republic and the US to resume formal negotiations about Tehran’s nuclear program and permanently ending their five-month war, the people said.

2) A selloff in semiconductor stocks deepened as signs of progress in China’s advanced chipmaking compounded worries about the sustainability of the artificial intelligence spending boom.
US technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.6%, while in Asia, a 7.5% slump put a Bloomberg gauge of semiconductor shares on course for its biggest decline since April 2025.

3) Taiwanese prosecutors detained an Nvidia Corp. employee as part of a probe into the alleged smuggling of AI chips into China, thrusting the US company into a high-profile case concerning the black market for its products.
Local investigators searched the home of the staffer and his desk at Nvidia’s Taipei office on July 24, according to people familiar with the matter. The courts later granted prosecutors’ request to detain the person on allegations of forgery and breach of trust, the people said, asking not to be named as the employee’s identity isn’t public.

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