US Strike Hits Iran's Darkhovin Nuclear Plant, Crypto Markets on High Alert

The United States has launched a strike against Iran's Darkhovin nuclear power plant, which is still under construction. According to the Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran (AEOI), multiple projectiles hit the site in Khuzestan province on July 19, 2026.

The AEOI did not provide further details about the extent of damage or casualties. The Darkhovin plant was planned to house a domestically built reactor with a capacity of 300-360 MW, but construction has been slow and troubled, including China withdrawing its reactor designs in the past.

This strike is part of an escalating campaign against Iranian nuclear infrastructure, which began at least mid-2025. Previous strikes in June 2025 and February/March 2026 led to significant crypto liquidations, with between $595 million and $700 million in losses, as well as over $10 million in outflows from Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges.

Iran's crypto sector relies heavily on low-cost electricity, which is disrupted by military strikes on energy infrastructure. This could affect Bitcoin's global hashrate if significant mining capacity goes offline temporarily.