Bitcoin, ether little changed as U.S. launches fresh Iran strikes

Markets Bitcoin, ether little changed as U.S. launches fresh Iran strikes The U.S. hit Iran for the third time this week and Tehran has reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz again. By Shaurya Malwa Jul 12, 2026, 6:18 a.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Summary Show Bitcoin traded around $63,800 with only slight daily moves despite new U.S. airstrikes on Iran and Tehran’s declaration that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. Other major cryptocurrencies, including ether, XRP and dogecoin, also saw only fractional price changes, continuing a muted pattern of reaction to Middle East tensions. Markets for oil, stocks and bonds are shut for the weekend, leaving bitcoin as one of the few assets pricing the latest escalation in real time, with a fuller reaction in crude expected when trading resumes Monday. Bitcoin held near $63,800 on Saturday after the U.S. launched its third round of strikes on Iran this week and Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed "until further notice." The largest cryptocurrency was down 0.3% over 24 hours and up 2% on the week. Vessel-tracking data showed some traffic around the Strait of Hormuz in Asian morning hours Sunday, though movement through the chokepoint remained well below normal. U.S. Central Command said President Trump ordered the strikes, which targeted Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels, after Iranian forces hit a Cyprus-flagged container ship. Iranian state media reported explosions along the country's southern coast, including the energy hubs of Bushehr and Asalouyeh and the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar-e Dayyer. Ether was similarly quiet at about $1,800, up 2% on the week. Solana was the weakest of the majors at $76, down 5% over seven days, while XRP slipped to $1.09 and dogecoin eased to about $0.07. The moves across the board were fractions of a percent on the day. The muted response is the pattern now. When Iran first closed the Strait of Hormuz in early March, Brent crude jumped past $100 a barrel for the first time in four years and later peaked near $120, and bitcoin sold off sharply on each escalation. Part of that is timing. Oil, equities and bonds are closed for the weekend, so bitcoin is the only large market open to price the strikes in real time, and it is treating them as close to a non-event. The fuller cross-asset reaction, in crude especially, might not show until Monday. Roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil moves through Hormuz, and Brent had already carried a risk premium into the weekend after tanker traffic through the strait stayed below normal. The real test comes Monday, however, if crude reopens with a sharp gap higher while bitcoin holds its ground. A calmer oil open would say the strait closure is being read as a threat Tehran has made and walked back before. Latest Crypto News 1 Ripple once weighed shutting down and handing XRP to shareholders, CEO says 1 hour ago 2 Bitcoin’s BIP 110 fork deadline nears with miner support at zero 2 hours ago 3 Lending protocol Bonzo loses 77% of value locked as $9 million oracle exploit rattles Hedera 13 hours ago 4 Crypto IPO market stalls as capital rotates to AI and macro uncertainty weighs 14 hours ago 5 The UK has finally shown it’s serious about crypto 17 hours ago 6 Bitcoin treasury company Empery Digital sold about half of its BTC stack 19 hours ago 7 AI found an Ethereum bug that could take validators offline, but humans had to prove it 20 hours ago 8 Bitcoin analysts predict $300,000–$500,000 price in 2029. The math says no Jul 11, 2026 9 Meta's Chief Data Officer Says Agentic Commerce is the "Next Tier of Business" Jul 10, 2026 10 U.S. government digital dollar set to be banned tonight under housing law's CBDC limit Jul 10, 2026 Latest Research Digital Assets: Quarterly Review and Outlook Q2 Digital Assets: Quarterly Review and Outlook Q2 Digital assets posted a third consecutive quarter of losses in Q2 2026, the longest losing streak since the 2022 bear market, as institutional capital rotated into AI equities and Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest quarterly outflow since launch. Our report examines what drove the divergence, where structural adoption continued regardless, and what Q3 signals to watch. By CoinDesk Research Jul 10, 2026 Digital assets posted a third consecutive quarter of losses in Q2 2026, the longest losing streak since the 2022 bear market, as institutional capital rotated into AI equities and Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest quarterly outflow since launch. Our report examines what drove the divergence, where structural adoption continued regardless, and what Q3 signals to watch. Why it matters: Digital assets posted a third consecutive quarter of losses in Q2 2026, the longest losing streak since the 2022 bear market, as institutional capital rotated into AI equities and Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest