“Congress has the power to slam the brakes on this unwise conflict,” said bill sponsor and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. The United States Senate has voted to advance a resolution that could force US President Donald Trump to seek congressional authorization to continue the country's war with Iran. The vote on a procedural war-powers measure on Tuesday passed by 50 to 47, with four Republicans also voting in favor, according to Reuters. Policymakers have been arguing that Congress, not the president, should have the power to send troops to war, as spelled out in the US Constitution. Read more
Institutional investors pulled capital from Bitcoin and Ether products as Iran tension and rising inflation rattled markets, while XRP and Solana funds continued to attract fresh inflows. Cryptocurrency investment products posted heavy outflows last week as investors reduced risk amid inflation fears and uncertainty over a lasting ceasefire between the United States and Iran. According to CoinShares’ latest weekly report, digital asset exchange-traded products (ETPs) recorded $1.07 billion in net outflows, ending a six-week streak of inflows. It marked the third-largest weekly outflow this year. Bitcoin (BTC) investment products accounted for the bulk of the withdrawals, with $982 million in outflows. Ether (ETH) products lost $249 million, their largest outflow since the week ending Jan. 30. Read more
Bitcoin analysis says BTC price could revisit the $65,000 demand area after fresh US-Iran war tensions soured the crypto market mood. Bitcoin (BTC) dropped to $76,000 during the early Asian trading hours on Monday as US-Iran tensions resurfaced. Key takeaways Data from TradingView showed BTC price dropped as much as 7% over the last three days to three-week lows of $76,500, erasing all the gains made since May 1. Read more
Law firm Gerstein Harrow LLP is attempting to claim frozen cryptocurrency funds for claimants of unrelated judgments stretching back decades. Law firm Gerstein Harrow LLP filed a new motion on Thursday in a miscellaneous enforcement lawsuit, asking the court to compel stablecoin company Tether to hand over more than $344 million in frozen USDt linked to Iranian entities. The motion claims that the plaintiffs are owed more than $532 million in compensatory damages and more than $1.8 billion in punitive damages from acts of “terrorism committed or sponsored by Iran,” stretching back more than 25 years. The latest filing is part of a broader lawsuit against North Korea (DPRK) and Iran, attempting to claim and redistribute digital assets as compensation for victims of various and unrelated judgments tied to state-sponsored violence, drawing criticism from the crypto community. Read more
Arkham’s new map links OFAC‑sanctioned Tron wallets to Iran’s central bank, putting Tehran’s alleged onchain reserves and counterparties in full public view. Blockchain analytics platform Arkham has published what it says is a public, onchain map of crypto wallets attributed to Iran’s central bank, making a pair of US-sanctioned Tron addresses publicly searchable for investigators and the wider public. The move could increase scrutiny of how Iranian-linked entities use stablecoins and blockchain networks to move funds outside traditional banking rails, as US authorities intensify sanctions enforcement tied to terrorism financing and oil revenues. Arkham’s May 11 research post groups the wallets into a Central Bank of Iran entity page and explorer, which the firm says can be used as a starting point to trace connected addresses and flows. Read more
10x Research CEO Markus Thielen said Bitcoin’s strength above $80,000 could be supported by two favorable decisions in the US Senate this week. Bitcoin briefly dipped before surging over $82,000 on Sunday as US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s counteroffer to a peace deal, which could prolong tension in the Middle East. “I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE," Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Sunday after reading Iran’s proposal to end the war. Iran has previously requested that the US pay for war reparations and unfreeze blocked Iranian financial assets. Bitcoin (BTC) fell from $81,430 to $80,520 within 45 minutes of Trump’s post before whipsawing nearly 2.3% to $82,347 less than three hours later, according to CoinGecko data. Bitcoin’s rise also resulted in nearly $64 million worth of short positions being wiped out over the last four hours, according to CoinGlass data. Read more
Bitcoin price action failed to revisit the $83,000 mark after US-Iran war tensions took over to steer the crypto market mood. Bitcoin (BTC) cooled from new 13-week highs at Wednesday’s Wall Street open amid mixed signals over a US-Iran peace deal. Key points: Data from TradingView showed a new local peak for BTC/USD of $82,833 on Bitstamp. Read more
Bitcoin faced new volatility and a new struggle to reclaim $80,000 as Iran events added pressure to crypto and risk assets. Bitcoin (BTC) saw volatility at Monday’s Wall Street open as fresh US-Iran war events sparked instability. Key points: Read more
Nobitex, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, was founded by brothers linked to the powerful Kharrazi family, which has ties to the country’s supreme leaders. Nobitex, Iran’s biggest crypto exchange, was founded by two brothers from one of the Islamic Republic’s most influential families with ties to the supreme leaders, according to a Reuters investigation. The exchange, which now accounts for the majority share of Iran’s crypto activity, was launched by Ali and Mohammad Kharrazi. The duo operated under the alternative surname “Aghamir,” which they used across corporate records and professional life, masking links to the Kharrazi dynasty, according to the report. The Kharrazi family has long occupied positions close to the country’s leadership, with ties spanning generations of power, including links to Ali Khamenei and his successor Mojtaba Khamenei. Read more
The announced crypto freeze came just one day after Tether said it had frozen $344 million of its USDt stablecoin in response to a request from US law enforcement. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned several wallets tied to Iran, resulting in authorities freezing $344 million in cryptocurrency. In a Friday X post, Bessent said that the move by OFAC was part of the US’ efforts to “systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds.” The US and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran in late February. “We will follow the money that Tehran is desperately attempting to move outside of the country and target all financial lifelines tied to the regime,” said Bessent. Read more
The Iranian government chose Bitcoin as a payment method for oil tolls due to its confiscation-resistant properties, but only dollar stablecoins have been used so far. Iran’s government naming Bitcoin (BTC) as a payment method for oil ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz highlights its role as a neutral, strategic asset, according to Sam Lyman, head of research at digital asset advocacy organization Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI). The government selected BTC as one of the payment methods for the tolls because of its censorship-resistant qualities, Lyman told Cointelegraph. He said: Iran is accepting oil tolls in Chinese yuan, US dollar-pegged stablecoins and BTC. However, there is “no onchain evidence” of a BTC toll payment so far, Lyman said, adding that the “majority” of Iran’s crypto transactions are denominated in US dollar stablecoins. Read more