The US military hit three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, permanently disabling two and destroying a third empty vessel. The strikes came in retaliation for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launching ballistic missiles at US Navy ships in the region. The attacks occurred near critical oil export chokepoints, raising concerns over oil prices and shipping risks. President Trump had downplayed the conflict as "small potatoes" the day before.

Before departing Beijing after the Trump-Xi meeting, US staff collected and discarded items distributed by the Chinese side to the delegation and press corps. The report says this is standard security procedure for presidential trips to China and Russia.

Trump reframes the Hormuz Strait blockade as a US oil sales pitch, claiming US oil reserves exceed Russia and Saudi combined. Fact Check shows daily production is only two-thirds of the two nations' total, and US can't replace Middle East heavy crude. Oil prices surge, Bitcoin drops below $70,600.

The crypto market added about 1.15% in 24 hours to $2.33 trillion, supported by a sharp oil reversal, steady ETF inflows, and stronger altcoin activity while Bitcoin held near $67,885.

Bitcoin rose to $69,537 and Ether touched $2,053 after Trump said the US would temporarily lift some oil-related sanctions and said the Iran conflict would end soon. Oil fell from near $120 to about $85, while 24-hour crypto liquidations reached $342 million.

Bitcoin stayed near $76,000 after the Fed held rates steady but showed a sharper internal split. Rising US-Iran tensions and Brent crude above $120 also added pressure, while traders watched $75,500 as a key short-term support level.

Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke says the US has lost the Iran war, is functionally insolvent with $136 trillion in liabilities, and predicts gold at $6,000–$7,000.