Bitcoin Price Outlook After Iran Introduces Bitcoin Payments for Strait of Hormuz Transit

Bitcoin price hovered at $76,510 on Monday after geopolitical tensions and institutional selling pressured cryptocurrency markets. Investors reacted to reports claiming Iran introduced Bitcoin payments for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz. 

The development came with the backdrop of increasing macro uncertainty, massive ETF outflows, and massive liquidation of leveraged crypto positions around the world.

Iran Introduces Bitcoin Payments for Strait of Hormuz Transit

Iran reportedly launched a Bitcoin-powered transit system for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

The project, dubbed “Hormuz Safe”, will reportedly levy $2 million in bitcoin on each shipping passage.

A new Strait Authority would be established to control passing through the shipping thoroughfare. Almost 20% of world oil traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz daily.

The payment system may be part of Iran’s effort to stay away from conventional foreign banking systems.

🚨 BREAKING

🇮🇷🇺🇸 IRAN WILL ONLY ACCEPT BITCOIN PAYMENTS FOR SAFE PASSAGE THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ!

THEY JUST LAUNCHED THE “HORMUZ SAFE” PROGRAM, CHARGING SHIPS $2,000,000.00 IN $BTC PER TRANSIT.

LOOKS LIKE IRAN IS NOW USING CRYPTO TO AVOID U.S. SANCTIONS AND FUND FREEZES. pic.twitter.com/5xBVmfmvaZ

— 0xNobler (@CryptoNobler) May 18, 2026

The declaration came amid ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran which remain fraught and in limbo.

Breaking news of any possible temporary relief on Iranian oil sanctions had a swift response from oil markets.

Recently, Tasnim News, which has close ties with the current diplomatic negotiation process, quoted a source as saying that Iran is trying to persuade the leaders of its three nuclear talks to sign an agreement that is acceptable to both sides.

Those advancements fueled investor wariness in commodities, digital assets and global financial markets in general.

Institutional Outflows Deepen Broader Crypto Market Decline

The overall cryptocurrency market declined 1.87%, cutting the total capitalization to around $2.55 trillion.

The trading volume for BTC surged by a significant margin, amounting to nearly $40.74 billion on major exchanges within 24 hours.

The recent drop in leveraged liquidations and eroding institutional appetite for digital assets.  Over $600 million is worth of leveraged long crypto positions that were liquidated in the previous trading session.

The liquidation chain further added to selling pressure for Bitcoin, Ethereum and other key altcoins worldwide.

CoinShares: Crypto Funds Post $1.07B Outflows Amid Iran-Related Risk-Off

CoinShares reported $1.07 billion in weekly outflows from crypto investment products, ending a six-week inflow streak. Bitcoin saw $982 million in outflows and Ethereum lost $249 million, while XRP and… pic.twitter.com/L62mjZunwn

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) May 18, 2026

CoinShares saw about $1.07 billion withdrawals from its crypto investment products in the last reporting period.

Bitcoin investment products suffered nearly $982 million in redemptions, while Ethereum products saw around $249 million in withdrawals

XRP and Solana saw positive inflows in the midst of general digital asset investment market weakness.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Key Levels To Watch

Technical analysis indicated that if bearish pressure continues to rise, BTC has the potential to retest immediate support at $76,000. 

If the price breaks below $76,000, Bitcoin may move towards the lower limit of the channel at the $74,500 level.  The RSI indicators were still in bearish territory around 32, indicating oversold conditions.

Meanwhile, recovery attempts would first require long-term BTC projection reclaiming resistance near the important $77,400 price level successfully. If the breakout is stronger above $79,000 then it could be heading for $80k.