Bitcoin (BTC) climbed to $80,000 on Monday after President Donald Trump announced Project Freedom, a US escort mission for stranded ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Project Freedom Sparks Divergence
Crude benchmarks slipped while Bitcoin extended gains in early Asian trading hours, . Brent crude fell 0.16% to $108 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate eased 0.29% to $101.
Bitcoin touched $80,000 before settling at $79,715, up 1.9% over 24 hours.
Trump unveiled the operation in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
He said the mission is focused on guiding neutral foreign vessels out of the strait, where ships have been stranded amid US-Iran tensions. He framed the move as a humanitarian gesture.
US Central Command later confirmed it will deploy guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, unmanned platforms, and roughly 15,000 service members to back the mission, which is set to begin Monday morning Middle East time.
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Hormuz Tensions, Crypto Catalysts
Markets are pricing the operation as a near-term de-escalation signal, even as Iran has pushed back. Senior Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi warned that any US interference would be treated as a violation of the existing ceasefire.
Trump struck a softer note on diplomacy, saying his representatives are holding positive discussions with Tehran.
Bitcoin has spent two weeks pinned below $80,000.
The level has acted as resistance throughout late April, with a clean daily close above it widely viewed as the trigger for a move toward $85,000. The strait has been largely impassable since the war with Iran broke out, choking a corridor that handles about a quarter of seaborne oil trade.
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