Bitcoin drops below $80,000 amid U.S. Middle East evacuations due to Iranian threat

Bitcoin slipped to $79,700, down 2.2% over 24 hours, as the U.S. rapidly evacuates personnel from Middle East embassies and military bases due to intelligence suggesting Iran is preparing attacks against Americans. Ether, XRP, and solana are also down in the 3%-4% range. Jay Clayton, director of national intelligence, wrote in a Friday memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel.