US-Iran Deal Flips Market Narrative From ‘Fear to Opportunity’: Santiment

The agreement between the United States and Iran has flipped the market’s mood from fear to opportunity almost overnight, with crypto emerging as one of the biggest winners, according to on-chain analytics firm Santiment.

Capital Rotates Into Bitcoin, Ethereum as Oil Tumbles

In a Monday post on X, Santiment said months of trader anxiety over supply shocks, inflation and geopolitical instability gave way to reopening trade routes, cooling tensions and a return to normal economic activity after the peace deal.

“As oil tumbled, crypto became one of the biggest beneficiaries, with capital quickly rotating back into Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other altcoins,” the analyst wrote.

The shift followed a fast-moving weekend. President Trump announced on Sunday that the deal with Iran was complete, authorizing the toll-free reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of the US naval blockade. A formal signing ceremony is set for Friday, June 19, in Switzerland.

Markets responded in lockstep. Bitcoin traded above $66,600 on Monday morning, up roughly 3.5% over recent sessions and more than 11% off early-June lows near $59,375. Ethereum climbed to $1,774, XRP added 8.7%, Solana rose 7.4%, and the total crypto market cap held above $2.35 trillion. Oil moved the other way, with WTI crude settling near $84.88, down about 3.2% on the day.

Santiment argued the rally is being driven as much by expectations as by present fundamentals, noting that markets tend to move ahead of reality. Many traders, the firm said, now read the agreement as a first step toward relative stability after a turbulent 2026.

“If inflation pressures ease and institutional investors finally begin feeling more comfortable themselves, the sharp gains following this announcement may end up looking less like a one-day relief rally and more like the opening chapter of a much larger bull cycle,” Santiment wrote.

Still, the broader reaction has been guarded, with more than $4.8 billion having exited US Bitcoin ETF products since May and traders wary after earlier Middle East ceasefires collapsed.

Wallet Tied to Arthur Hayes Buys $5.42M in ETH

As reported, a crypto wallet possibly belonging to BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has bought 3,000 ETH worth about $5.42 million, on-chain tracker Lookonchain reported.

The purchase stands out against Hayes’s recent posture. Over the prior two weeks, the Maelstrom chief investment officer had been cutting risk aggressively. In his “Reality Test” essay published June 8, he liquidated his Hyperliquid, Near Protocol and Worldcoin holdings and exited Zcash, framing the moves as macro de-risking rather than a loss of conviction, while keeping Bitcoin and Ether as core holdings.