Trump Vows Full Iran Pressure as Dow Drops 1,300 Points; Asian Stocks Tumble While Bitcoin Holds $68,000

U.S. stocks fell sharply on March 4 after President Trump pledged to spare no cost on Iran, with the Dow Jones sliding nearly 1,300 points at the open, BlockBeats reports. Trump later announced plans to insure and escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting crude oil, the dollar and Treasury yields to retreat from intraday highs and narrowing broader equity losses, though the Nasdaq still closed down more than 1%. Iran continues surveillance of the strait, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Deputy Commander Mohammad Akbarzadeh said the waterway remains fully under Iranian naval control, with more than a dozen tankers reportedly hit by projectiles; Polymarket data show a high implied probability Iran might close the strait. During Asian trading, South Korea's KOSPI dropped 6% and KOSPI 200 futures fell 5%, triggering a five-minute program-trading halt, while Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 2.31% and fell below 55,000. Bitcoin traded at $68,151.61, up 0.64% over 24 hours, and Ethereum at $1,981, gaining 0.61% in the same period.