Arthur Hayes argues that a deeper US conflict with Iran could ultimately become a bullish macro setup for Bitcoin, not because war is constructive for markets, but because it may push the Federal Reserve toward cheaper and more abundant money.
Why Bitcoin Could Surge
In his March 2 essay iOS Warfare, the BitMEX co-founder laid out a simple thesis: if President Donald Trump commits the US to a prolonged and expensive campaign tied to Iran, the political and fiscal strain could raise the odds of monetary easing. For Hayes, that matters more than the conflict itself. “The longer Trump engages in the extremely costly activity of Iranian nation-building,” he wrote, “the higher the likelihood the Fed lowers the price and increases the quantity of money to support Pax Americana’s latest bout of Middle Eastern adventurism.”
Hayes’ argument rests on a historical pattern rather than a direct forecast on oil, geopolitics or battlefield outcomes. He points to prior US military engagements in the Middle East and says major conflicts were followed, or accompanied, by easier monetary policy. In his reading, wars do not just damage confidence and strain public finances; they also create conditions in which the Fed has cover to cut rates, support liquidity and help stabilize asset markets.
To support that view, Hayes cites several episodes going back to 1990. After the Gulf War began, he notes, the Fed initially stayed put but signaled that worsening conditions could force a shift. From the August 21, 1990 FOMC discussion, he quotes: “The heightened uncertainties and the prospectively less satisfactory performance of the economy stemming from events in the Middle East had greatly complicated the formulation of an effective monetary policy. In the opinion of several members, events appeared likely to unfold in a direction that would require an easing of policy at some point to counter weakening tendencies in the economy that had been in train before the oil price increase.”
He also highlights the Fed’s response after the September 2001 attacks and the launch of the Global War on Terror. In an emergency meeting, then-Chair Alan Greenspan said: “It’s clear that the events of last week, at a minimum, have created a heightened degree of fear and uncertainty that is placing considerable downward pressure on asset prices, increasing the probability of an asset price deflation, with its obvious impact on the economy. Therefore, I propose a 50-basis point cut in the federal funds rate target.”
For Hayes, those episodes show that geopolitical shocks can become monetary events. His framing is blunt: when war dents confidence, threatens growth or pressures markets, the policy answer tends to be lower rates and more liquidity. That, in turn, is the backdrop he believes tends to favor Bitcoin.
Still, Hayes is not calling for an immediate risk-on trade. He says the market does not yet know how long Trump would stay committed to reshaping Iran, nor how much market or political pain the administration can absorb before changing course. Because of that, he argues the cleaner trade is to wait for confirmation from policy rather than front-run the thesis too early.
“The prudent action is to wait and see,” Hayes wrote. “The time to back up the truck and buy Bitcoin and high-quality shitcoins like HYPE is immediately after the Fed cuts rates and or prints money to support the government’s goals in Iran.”
At press time, Bitcoin traded at $66,218.
