Bitcoin has fallen to $62,777, extending Thursday's nearly 1.4% slide from $65,000, as fresh U.S. airstrikes on Iran continue to weigh on risk sentiment across global markets. According to crypto.news data, the cryptocurrency is now trading just below its 50-day simple moving average, the widely-tracked gauge of near-term momentum. The latest decline comes after Iran's semi-official Fars news agency quoted Hormozgan Province Governorate, saying that U.S. airstrikes have hit five bridges in the southern Hormozgan province, with a missile strike also hitting Iran's Chabahar maritime control tower. Ether's price has dropped by 1.7% since midnight UTC, with ETH's underperformance driven by bullish plays unwinding rather than aggressive new short selling, as traders continue to take profits amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Bitcoin has slipped below $65,000 as Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei ruled out renewed prospects for peace talks with the United States, adding fresh pressure to risk assets as military operations continue. According to Press TV, Baghaei stated that Iran currently has no plans for negotiations and is focused on defence, responding to US claims that ongoing military operations would compel Tehran to resume talks. The rejection came after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed during a FOX interview that Iran had reached out earlier and wanted to make a deal, suggesting diplomatic contact could resume. The conflicting messages have arrived as the U.S.-Iran conflict intensifies once again, with both countries continuing to exchange strikes while Trump has reinstated the Iranian blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and warned that Washington could expand military operations if Tehran does not return to negotiations.
Asian equity markets wilted significantly, with the MSCI Asia-Pacific index dropping 2.7%, as geopolitical tensions and renewed fears of U.S.-China frictions weighed heavily on risk assets. According to crypto.news, Japan and Taiwan recorded heavier losses than the broader index, with Asian equity markets also falling sharply on Friday, although a major selloff in technology and semiconductor stocks was a central driver of the broader market weakness. The Australian dollar, a commodity-sensitive currency and G7 proxy for China, fell against the U.S. dollar on fears of renewed U.S.-China tensions. WTI oil futures held steady at around $79 per barrel, surprisingly ignoring the geopolitical stress from the fresh wave of U.S. attacks on Iran, as traders priced in the possibility of supply disruptions.
Late Thursday, Trump announced the declassification of intelligence reports alleging Chinese interference in U.S. elections, claiming that Beijing obtained 220 million U.S. voter records, calling it a major threat to democracy. According to crypto.news, China has flatly denied the allegations, while previous U.S. intelligence assessments found no evidence that Beijing changed the election result. Markets are also watching whether the dispute affects Trump's planned September meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the dispute itself not being market-moving but its potential to strain U.S.-China ties ahead of the meeting. The rhetoric itself could complicate the diplomatic runway into September regardless of the underlying facts.
Despite the latest decline, institutional flows offered some support with U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recording $79.15 million in net inflows on Thursday, led by BlackRock's IBIT with $33.44 million. According to crypto.news, Bitcoin has remained inside the broader $60,000–$65,000 range for more than a month, with technical analysis showing the cryptocurrency below its nine-day simple moving average near $63,765 and the relative strength index at 47.74, placing momentum slightly below neutral without showing deeply oversold conditions. Bitcoin traders are watching $62,200 support and $65,000 resistance, with analysts identifying the $63,300–$63,800 region as an important trendline area and horizontal support near $62,200. The asset is also moving through a large options settlement with around $1.2 billion in BTC options expiring with maximum pain near $63,000.
