Bitcoin dips under $68,500 after Trump prolongs Iran deadline, with war concerns still lingering.

Cryptocurrencies traded broadly lower on Friday as the Iran conflict entered its fifth week with no clear resolution, even as underlying flows संकेत continued institutional accumulation.

Bitcoin slipped to around $68,500, down 3.2% over the past 24 hours and 2.7% on the week. The move followed a recurring pattern seen in recent weeks, where initial de-escalation headlines are quickly overtaken by renewed escalation, keeping markets volatile.

U.S. President Donald Trump extended the deadline for Iran to reach a ceasefire agreement by 10 days, saying talks were progressing well. Brent crude initially fell 1.3% to $106 on the news, but sentiment quickly reversed after reports that the Pentagon is considering deploying up to 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East.

The broader crypto market declined about 1%, bringing total market capitalization to $2.4 trillion. Ether dropped 4.6% to $2,050, slipping back below a key level it has struggled to hold this month. Solana fell 5.3% to $85.93, while XRP lost 2.8% to $1.36, extending its weekly decline to 6.5%. BNB fell 2.3% to $626, and Dogecoin dropped 2.8% to $0.091. Tron was the only major token in positive territory, rising 1.2% on the day and 2.4% over the week.

Equity markets also weakened. Asian stocks fell 0.6% after Wall Street dropped to its lowest level since September in the previous session. South Korean technology shares led losses, with Samsung and SK Hynix pulling the KOSPI down 2.3%, while Taiwan’s benchmark index declined 1.2%.

The ongoing conflict continues to produce headline-driven volatility, with markets repeatedly whipsawed and lacking a clear directional trend.

Despite the pullback, some technical signals remain constructive. FxPro chief market analyst Alex Kuptsikevich noted that the total crypto market capitalization is approaching its 50-day moving average while still holding above it, describing this as a bullish sign.

Institutional flows also point to underlying strength. Bitcoin ETFs have attracted roughly $2.5 billion in inflows over the past month, according to Bloomberg, offsetting much of the outflows seen earlier in the year. BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF ranks among the top 2% of ETFs by inflows year-to-date.

At the same time, net outflows of bitcoin from exchanges suggest ongoing accumulation, as investors move assets into long-term storage rather than positioning for near-term selling.

BlackRock added that large investors are increasingly focusing on bitcoin and ether while avoiding the broader altcoin space.

With the Iran deadline now pushed back by 10 days, the next key catalyst for markets is likely to emerge in early April.

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