Bitcoin traded around $63,800 on Friday, holding steady as US airstrikes on Iranian bridges near Bandar Abbas killed nine people over July 15-16. The strikes, targeting infrastructure close to the Strait of Hormuz, escalate tensions in a region critical for global energy flows — and crypto traders are watching closely.
The airstrikes
US warplanes hit bridges near the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Wednesday and Thursday. Local officials confirmed nine deaths. The strikes come amid a broader standoff over shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes. Iran has not yet announced a retaliatory move.
Bitcoin's price reaction
Through the two days of strikes, bitcoin stayed near $63,800. That's a relatively calm response compared to past geopolitical shocks — in early 2020, a US drone strike on a Iranian general sent bitcoin briefly above $10,000 before a sharp sell-off. This time, the market isn't panicking. Not yet.
The Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint for oil. Any disruption there tends to rattle traditional markets. But crypto has been behaving more like a risk-on asset in 2026, and a prolonged conflict could eventually pressure prices if liquidity dries up or exchanges see withdrawal spikes. So far, no major exchange has reported unusual volume.
Iran's response is the unknown. Diplomatic channels remain open, but the US has not ruled out further strikes. For bitcoin, the $63,800 level is serving as a psychological floor — for now. The next 48 hours will test whether that holds.
