'A whole civilization will die': Crypto markets under pressure as Trump ups rhetoric towards Iran

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email 'A whole civilization will die': Crypto markets under pressure as Trump ups rhetoric towards Iran Weekend gains for bitcoin have been mostly erased ahead of the president's Tuesday night deadline for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz By Stephen Alpher Apr 7, 2026, 1:00 p.m. Make preferred on U.S. President Donald Trump (Library of Congress on Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk) After topping $70,000 on Monday, bitcoin BTC $ 68,399.76 has pulled back to the $68,000 area as time draws near for President Trump's Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," said Trump in a Tuesday morning Truth Social Post . "I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," he continued. "We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world." Alongside declines in crypto, U.S. stock index futures are poised to open lower, led by the Nasdaq 100's 0.65% decline. WTI crude oil is higher by 1.7% to $114.22 per barrel. Tempering declines across markets were comments from vice president J.D. Vance, who — while reiterating the 8 pm ET deadline — said the military objectives of the Iran war have been completed. More For You Encryption Supremacy: Zcash and Privacy in the Age of Scale By CoinDesk Research Mar 31, 2026 Commissioned by GenZcash Most crypto privacy models weaken as blockchain data grows. Encryption-based models like Zcash strengthen. CoinDesk Research maps the five privacy approaches and examines the widening gap. Why it matters : As blockchain adoption scales, the metadata available to machine learning models scales with it. Obfuscation-based privacy approaches are structurally degrading as a result. This report provides a comprehensive comparison of all five major crypto privacy architectures and a framework for evaluating which models remain durable as AI capabilities improve. View Full Report More For You Why Michael Saylor's bitcoin buys aren’t moving the needle anymore By James Van Straten | Edited by Jamie Crawley 1 hour ago Despite billions in purchases, MSTR demand is being outweighed by long term holder positioning and broader capital flows. What to know : Strategy accounts for only 7% of gross inflows, meaning its buying is small relative to total market demand and easily offset by larger forces. Long-term holder positioning, revived supply, and realized cap changes are dominating flows. U.S. spot ETFs have added roughly $1 billion of inflows over the past 30... Read full story Latest Crypto News Bitcoin quantum threat is real and closer than it looks, says Nobel physicist 16 minutes ago How North Korea's 6-month long secret espionage program has crypto community rethinking security 31 minutes ago Why Michael Saylor's bitcoin buys aren’t moving the needle anymore 1 hour ago Bitcoin briefly touches $70,000 as ETF inflows signal institutional interest 1 hour ago Bitcoin price-drop speculation spurred by familiar price pattern 2 hours ago Solana Foundation unveils security overhaul days after $270 million Drift exploit 2 hours ago Top Stories SEC close to putting out 'reg crypto' for fundraising questions, Chair Atkins says 9 hours ago Bitcoin ETF inflows hit highest level since February 7 hours ago Bitcoin pulls away from software stocks as Iran war, AI reshape market dynamic 2 hours ago Appeals court blocks New Jersey from shutting down Kalshi's sports markets 20 hours ago Bitcoin miners face a new rival for cheap power as Anthropic signs multi-gigawatt compute deal 7 hours ago In this article BTC BTC $ 68,399.76 ◢ 1.38 %