Bitcoin rallies above 80000 continued Sunday after the US president dismissed Iran’s counteroffer on a peace deal, extending a move that wiped out short positions and pushed the asset through technical resistance. The price briefly dipped to $80,520 before surging to $82,347, a 2.3% gain inside three hours.
Trump posted his rejection on Truth Social. “I don’t like it, TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” he wrote after reading Iran’s terms. The counteroffer included demands for war reparations and the unfreezing of blocked Iranian financial assets. The market had been pricing an imminent ceasefire. That trade reversed.
| Metric | Latest | Move | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTC Price | $82,347 | +2.3% | 3 hours |
| Short Liquidations | $64m | Wiped | 4 hours |
| Brent Crude | $98.70 | +4.6% | Session |
| S&P 500 Futures | +0.13% | +0.13% | 2 hours |
Strait of Hormuz tension lifts oil, pressures equities
The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz has been running for ten weeks. One-fifth of global oil trade passes through that chokepoint. Brent climbed another 4.6% to $98.70 per barrel on Trump’s comments. Equity futures lagged. The CoinGecko data showed Bitcoin decoupling from the front-month S&P contract during the session.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said separately that the conflict will not end until Iran’s uranium sites are dismantled. That statement closed the door on hopes for a Wednesday ceasefire. The market had priced a deal. It now prices an extended campaign.
Short squeeze followed initial dip
The Bitcoin rallies above 80000 came despite initial weakness following Trump’s post. The asset fell from $81,430 to $80,520 in 45 minutes before reversing sharply. Coinglass data showed $64 million in short positions liquidated over the following four hours. That liquidation flow likely accelerated the move through $82,000.
The pattern is familiar. Geopolitical headlines trigger stop-loss selling, the shorts pile in, then the bid returns and forces covering. The volatility is two-way but the direction since late February has been one-way. Bitcoin is up 29.7% since the conflict began on Feb. 28.
Bitcoin rallies above 80000 supported by regulatory calendar
Bitcoin rallies above 80000 could gain further support from two Senate decisions this week, according to Markus Thielen, chief executive of 10x Research. The first is Monday’s vote on Kevin Warsh’s confirmation as Federal Reserve chair. The second is Thursday’s markup of the CLARITY Act by the Senate Banking Committee.
Thielen said Warsh is seen as more hawkish on inflation than the current chair, Jerome Powell, but his confirmation removes an uncertainty overhang. “Both events lean bullish for Bitcoin,” he said. “Regulatory clarity reduces institutional friction, and a smooth Fed leadership transition avoids the policy uncertainty that typically pressures risk assets.”
Thielen described the CLARITY Act as the most significant piece of crypto legislation in years. He said it could be a turning point for regulatory certainty across digital assets. The bill has been in committee since the previous Congress. A markup moves it closer to a floor vote.
Outperformance versus equities and gold
Bitcoin has outperformed both the S&P 500 and gold since the US-Iran conflict started. The 29.7% gain claws back some of the ground lost from October, when the asset hit $126,080 before the sell-off into year-end. The macro books that rotated out of duration risk in Q4 are starting to reload crypto exposure, according to flow data tracked by BIS reporting dealers.
Thielen said Bitcoin rallies above 80000 are underpinned by improving regulatory clarity and the prospect of a more predictable Fed leadership. The Senate votes this week could cement that view. If Warsh is confirmed and the CLARITY Act advances, the path to $85,000 opens. If either stumbles, the $80,000 level gets tested again.
Next catalyst: the Monday confirmation vote. The crypto desks are positioned long into it.
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Readers should not act on any information contained here without first consulting an authorised financial adviser. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
