U.S. Airstrikes on Iran Trigger Crypto Decline

• Lyla Velez
• June 22, 2025
• News
• 0 Comments

In a significant geopolitical escalation, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites on June 21, 2025. This action triggered immediate volatility in the cryptocurrency market, with Bitcoin and Ethereum experiencing notable price declines.

The airstrikes signify a new phase in U.S.-Iran tensions, impacting global markets and digital assets, as investors react to increased risk. This development highlights potential vulnerabilities within crypto markets during geopolitical crises.

U.S. airstrikes on Iranian sites led to an immediate 3.2% drop in Bitcoin prices, revealing the market’s sensitivity to geopolitical events. Simultaneous cyber-attacks on Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, further complicated the situation by breaching cybersecurity defenses.

“I think it’s a game-changer. I think geopolitical efforts and war as we see it is right now playing in different avenues… this is another escalation or evolution of how factors or actors or entities within the space are able to target the actual source of funding and change the game for the entire system.”
— Bezalel Eithan Raviv, CEO and Founder, Lionsgate Network

Among the involved parties are the U.S. and Iranian governments, with the possibility of further retaliation. Bezalel Eithan Raviv emphasized cyber-attacks’ evolving role. Exchanges like Nobitex suffered a $90 million loss, heightening digital warfare concerns.

Financial markets reacted sharply, mirroring past crisis patterns where Bitcoin and Ethereum struggled as safe-haven assets. Increased trading volumes and liquidity shifts to stablecoins suggest investor movement to perceived safer assets in response to the uncertainty.

The implications are profound for the political and digital financial landscape, as this conflict could shape future crypto market vulnerabilities. Unaddressed vulnerabilities in financial networks present risks for the global crypto community and regional stability.

Regulatory and market responses remain unknown, though cyber-attack risks and geopolitical stress are expected to influence long-term strategies. Past instances hint at temporary sell-offs, with upper-level network tokens often affected during such crises.