Bitcoin Hovers Around $69,000 as Trump’s Iran Deadline Looms

Crypto markets retreated on Tuesday as President Donald Trump’s self-imposed deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer, dampening risk appetite across global markets.

Bitcoin is trading at $69,200, according to CoinGecko, recovering from an intraday dip below $68,000 but still well off Monday’s brief push above $70,000. Ethereum is changing hands at $2,112, while Solana trades at $82. XRP fell 1.6% to $1.32.

The total cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at approximately $2.45 trillion, down less than 1% in the past 24 hours.

Among the top 100 tokens by market cap, Rain (RAIN) led gainers with a 9.8% rise, followed by Zcash (ZEC), up 8% to $276. On the downside, Algorand (ALGO) dropped 7%, and Avalanche (AVAX) fell 6.2% to $8.75.

Iran Deadline Dominates Sentiment

Trump escalated his rhetoric early Tuesday, posting on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran fails to comply with demands to reopen the critical shipping lane that handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas flows. Vice President J.D. Vance said the military objectives of the war in Iran have been achieved, but the administration’s ceasefire demands remain unmet.

U.S. equities ended the day mostly unchanged, while West Texas Intermediate crude held above $110 per barrel as fears of continued supply disruption weighed on energy markets.

Traders widely expect the Federal Reserve to hold rates steady at its April meeting, reflecting the view that wartime inflation will keep the central bank sidelined.

ETF Inflows Defy Risk-Off Mood

Despite the geopolitical turmoil, spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $471 million in net inflows on Monday, the largest single-day intake since Feb. 25, according to SoSoValue.

The figure sits well below January’s peak flow regime, when multiple trading days topped $700 million, but marks a notable acceleration after BTC and ETH ETFs reversed a multi-week outflow streak in late February. March saw $1.32 billion in total net inflows, coinciding with Bitcoin’s first green monthly candle in six months.

Liquidations and Derivatives

Bitcoin alone accounted for roughly $92 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGlass. Liquidations were almost equally shared between long and short positions amid choppy trading.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index sits at 11, deep in extreme-fear territory and near the lowest sustained readings since the Terra collapse in mid-2022.

Looking Ahead

The immediate catalyst for market direction is the 8 PM ET Iran deadline. Trump has repeatedly extended similar ultimatums in recent weeks, blunting their market impact, but the scale of rhetoric suggests tonight could break the pattern in either direction.

Bitcoin has been range-bound between $62,000 and $75,000 since early February. A resolution in the Strait of Hormuz standoff would likely trigger a relief rally across risk assets.