Bitcoin Reclaims $72K as US-Iran Ceasefire Sparks Hope for War End: Your Weekly Crypto Recap

BTC tapped a three-week high but will this cease-fire last?

With the world’s attention set on the quickly developing tension in the Middle East, the big news from this week was that the US and Iran announced a 14-day cease-fire. The impact on the crypto markets was immediate.

But first, let’s rewind to the previous weekend, which was highly eventful on the war front. The US and Israel struck numerous targets in Iran, while President Trump gave the enemy a 48-hour deadline (which was extended) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, otherwise the attacks will intensify.

BTC remained sideways at first, failing to move out of the $66,000-$67,000 range. It finally showed some volatility on Monday morning, jumping to a then-local peak of $70,000 after reports emerged that the US and Iran had engaged in negotiations. However, it dipped later that day as other reports suggested the talks had stalled.

With just hours left until the deadline expiration, Trump announced the long-sought cease-fire on his social media platform, indicating that both countries will halt the attacks for two weeks and Iran will reopen the Strait. The markets reacted with immediate fluctuations, with BTC surging to $72,600, while oil prices dropped.

However, this cease-fire remains somewhat questionable as the Strait hasn’t opened fully. Israel continued to attack Lebanon, but Trump urged Netanyahu to scale down the strikes. For now, the uncertainty remains high, but bitcoin’s price has felt the positive consequences of a cease-fire, currently trading around $72,000.

This means that the asset has gained 7.4% weekly, followed by ETH’s 6.8% surge. HYPE has jumped by 14% within the same timeframe, while ZEC has stolen the show with a massive 60% surge to over $375.

Market Data

Market Cap: $2.530T | 24H Vol: $96B | BTC Dominance: 57.2%

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BTC: $72,200 (+7.4%) | ETH: $2,220 (+6.8%) | XRP: $1.34 (+1.4%)

This Week’s Crypto Headlines You Can’t Miss

Japan Approves Legislation Granting Crypto Financial Instrument Status. A report by Nikkei said earlier today that the Japanese government has approved a bill classifying cryptocurrencies as financial instruments. This should enhance investor protection and ban insider trading based on undisclosed information.

Morgan Stanley’s MSBT Bitcoin ETF Debuts with $34M in First-Day Trading Volume. One of the largest US banking behemoths and long-term Bitcoin supporter, Morgan Stanley, debuted its spot BTC ETF this week. The financial product saw trading volume of almost $35 million.

BTC Surges Toward $73K as Iran Reportedly Demands Bitcoin for Hormuz Passage. Bitcoin’s price experienced more volatility earlier this week after the Financial Times noted that Iran will require ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay the tolls in BTC and other digital assets.

Hong Kong Issues First Stablecoin Licenses to HSBC, Standard Chartered-led Consortium. In what became a groundbreaking approval, Hong Kong’s Monetary Authority (HKMA) granted HSBC and a consortium led by Standard Chartered the first stablecoin issuer licenses, which will allow the issuance of such tokens pegged to the local dollar and the conduct of cross-border payments.

Cardano Whale Wallets Hit 4-Month High as ADA Stays Depressed. Whale wallets holding Cardano’s native token reached a 2026 peak at 424. However, the underlying asset continues to struggle with its price performance, currently down by 3% monthly, even though most other alts have posted notable gains lately.

Saylor’s Strategy Resumes Bitcoin Accumulation Spree With 4,871 BTC Purchase. After a brief hiatus, Michael Saylor’s Strategy resumed its bitcoin purchase announcements on Monday. In the latest accumulation, the company spent roughly $330 million to increase its stash by 4,871 BTC to almost 767,000 units.

Charts

This week, we have a chart analysis of Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Binance Coin, and Hyperliquid – click here for the complete price analysis.