Bitcoin slipped below $80,000 over the weekend after the Wall Street Journal reported the U.S. is rapidly evacuating personnel from embassies and military bases across the Middle East. A Friday memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel. BTC was at $80,160, down 2.4% on the week, with Ethereum down 3.8% to $2,322 and Solana down 3.2% to $101. Over 30 days, Bitcoin is down 4.8% while the majors around it average a 16.5% decline, and Zcash is up 8% on the week. The newsletter flags a busy week ahead, including the FOMC decision, Robinhood earnings and Q3 GDP and PCE data.
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bitcoincryptoIrangeopoliticsMiddle East
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Related tickers and likely impact
BTC/USDT
▼ Likely negativeBitcoin
Relevance: high
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $1.6T |
| Close on 10/25/2026 | 80,154.09 |
| Change that session | -0.91% |
ETH/USDT
▼ Likely negativeEthereum
Relevance: high
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $285.6B |
| Close on 10/25/2026 | 2,329.87 |
| Change that session | -1.23% |
SOL/USDT
▼ Likely negativeSolana
Relevance: medium
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $59.7B |
| Close on 10/25/2026 | 101.40 |
| Change that session | -0.96% |
BNB/USDT
▼ Likely negativeBNB
Relevance: medium
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Exchange tokens |
| Market cap | $97.5B |
| Close on 10/25/2026 | 738.69 |
| Change that session | -0.18% |
XRP/USDT
▼ Likely negativeXRP
Relevance: medium
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $82.0B |
| Close on 10/25/2026 | 1.29620 |
| Change that session | -0.26% |
XAU/USD
▲ Likely positiveRelevance: low
| Market | Gold |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/23/2026 | 3,995.78 |
| Change that session | -0.72% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
- Crypto under weekend pressure, bitcoin slides below $80,000 on U.S. Middle East evacuations
Bitcoin fell below $80,000 on Saturday, hitting its weakest level in more than a month after dropping 2.2% over 24 hours to $79,700. Ether, XRP and Solana declined 3%–4% as crypto prices fell broadly. The WSJ reported that the U.S. is rapidly evacuating personnel from embassies and military bases across the Middle East, citing intelligence that Iran is preparing attacks against Americans. In a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel, and the evacuations go well beyond earlier orders for some diplomatic staff in Saudi Arabia to leave. President Trump has threatened a re-escalation of the war against Iran after the midterms in early November.
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According to NBC News, the US has begun quietly withdrawing troops and evacuating diplomatic personnel from the Middle East as President Donald Trump weighs a new wave of strikes on Iran. Troops stationed in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait are among those being repositioned, though the administration reportedly plans to keep air defense and security personnel at regional bases. The State Department has also ordered non-essential staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing Houthi attacks on civilian airports, though a spokesperson called reports of additional withdrawals “inaccurate.” Options presented to Trump reportedly include strikes on nuclear facilities, underground installations and Iranian islands, while Trump rejected Iran's proposal to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as “unacceptable.”
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- Azerbaijan hosts rare summit of both converging and opposing Middle East and Asian leaders
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