Good morning. Diplomacy gets a little more time in the US-Iran standoff, oil prices ease on the news, and crypto traders face a busy week of delisting deadlines — here is the latest from overnight and this morning, Monday, November 2, 2026.
Trump questioning top generals over 'rosy' Iran war forecasts
US President Donald Trump has been asking allies about the performances of War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, who had assured him the war with Iran would be "quick and decisive", according to a report in The Atlantic published on November 1. The Pentagon has rejected the suggestion that its forecasts were "overly optimistic", and the White House says the president retains "full confidence" in both men. No order to resume strikes has been given, but The Atlantic reports that new attacks could come "soon after" Tuesday's midterm elections, keeping the post-election window firmly in focus.
KuCoin to delist 23 tokens on November 5
KuCoin has announced it will delist 23 tokens from spot trading: ANOME, ATA, BCUT, BULLA, CESS, COMMON, D, DOLO, ECHO, ES, EYWA, GAIA, ION, LADYS, NOON, PIGGY, SAROS, HIPPO, SUNDOG, SUP, U2U, VAYLA and XTER. Deposits for the tokens close on November 3 at 08:00 UTC, spot trading ends on November 5 at 08:00 UTC, and withdrawals close on December 7 at 08:00 UTC. KuCoin says any leftover balances may be converted to stablecoins, but conversion is not guaranteed, so holders should act before the deadlines.
Oil eases as diplomacy gets more time
Brent crude slipped about 1.5 percent to around $111.71 a barrel in Monday trading, after reports that President Trump wants to give diplomacy more time before deciding on resumed strikes against Iran after Tuesday's midterms. The move extends the pullback from Friday's levels and reflects hopes that the ongoing talks, mediated by Qatar, can avert a fresh round of confrontation. The direction of oil prices in the coming days is likely to hinge on whether those talks produce a breakthrough or break down after the US vote.
Crypto deadlines approaching this week
Several previously announced crypto deadlines fall due in the coming days. Coinbase's VELO to AERO conversion starts today, November 2, and runs through November 4. Binance withdrawals for ICX, SCRT and STORJ close tomorrow, November 3. Coinbase suspensions of STG and PYR, along with Bitvavo's PTB suspension, follow on November 6, with Coinbase's BAL and TNSR suspensions due on November 9 and Binance Pool's global shutdown on November 10. No new major-exchange spot delisting announcements and no new general China-US or UK tariff moves were reported in this morning's check.
Market snapshot
Bitcoin traded around $78,642, up about 1.05 percent, while Ethereum stood near $2,308, up about 1.69 percent. Brent crude was around $111.71 a barrel, down about 1.5 percent on the day, as reports of more time for diplomacy eased immediate supply fears.
Watch: today's video briefings
Sources
The Atlantic (November 1 report on Trump, Hegseth and Caine); Gulf News live blog (November 2 morning entries); KuCoin official announcement (23-token spot delisting); Bloomberg via Hindu BusinessLine (November 2 oil market update); Coinbase and Binance official notices (VELO conversion, ICX/SCRT/STORJ withdrawal deadlines, STG/PYR, BAL/TNSR and Binance Pool dates); Finnhub live market data for Bitcoin and Ethereum prices.
