Two US soldiers were killed as Bitcoin traders prepared for a move towards $72,000
The United States says two service members were killed and several others were wounded while US Central Command and partner forces defended an air base in Jordan from Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. American warplanes used the base to carry out operations against Iran.
One service member remains missing. Four others who were taken to hospitals in Jordan have since been released. These are the first American deaths resulting from direct Iranian fire since the first days of the war.
The Trump administration said:
“On July 17, two U.S. service members were killed in Jordan while CENTCOM and partner forces were defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing. Out of respect for the families, CENTCOM will be withholding additional information, including the identities of fallen warriors, until 24 hours after notification of next of kin.”
Bitcoin recovered $65,000 on Coinbase US shortly before the announcement. It was trading at $65,020 on the stock exchange at press time, while prices in the rest of the global market remained closer to $64,500.
Options traders are still betting that Bitcoin could reach $72,000 before the end of July, around the same time as the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting.
The positions are placed through Bitcoin call options listed on Deribit, which gain value when the spot price rises beyond the chosen level before expiration.
Traders bought 20,000 calls on July 31 with a strike of $70,000 and sold another 20,000 calls at $72,000 with the same expiry. The combined 40,000 contracts represent $2.5 billion in nominal value, with each contract tied to a single bitcoin.
