Bitcoin Drops 2.9% as Israel-Iran Conflict Triggers $1.16B Crypto Liquidations and 6.1% Market Plunge

According to CoinDesk, Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 2.9% and the CoinDesk 20 Index fell 6.1% over 24 hours as Israeli airstrikes on Iran fueled global risk aversion, leading to $1.16 billion in liquidations reported by CoinGlass. Wintermute trader Jake Ostrovskis stated that Solana (SOL) ETF optimism persists with a 90% approval probability by year-end per Bloomberg analysts, but Middle East tensions now dominate trader focus with Polymarket indicating a 91% chance of Iranian retaliation.
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Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13 triggered a global risk asset selloff, with cryptocurrencies experiencing sharp declines. According to CoinDesk, the CoinDesk 20 Index plummeted 6.1% over 24 hours, while bitcoin dropped 2.9% to $104,889 despite its perceived haven status. Traditional safe havens outperformed, with gold futures rising 1.3% to $3,445 per ounce. The attack occurred after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iranian uranium enrichment violations and killed key military leaders. Global equity markets reacted negatively: Japan's Nikkei fell 0.89%, Euro Stoxx 50 dropped 1.37%, and U.S. index futures declined 1.2%. Oil prices surged dramatically, with Brent crude spiking 14% intraday as geopolitical tensions threatened Middle Eastern supply routes. This erased crypto gains from earlier ETF speculation, particularly impacting Solana's SOL, which plunged 9.5% despite recent 15% rallies on SEC filing updates for spot ETFs. Wintermute trader Jake Ostrovskis noted the market remains underexposed to SOL despite Bloomberg analysts assigning 90% approval odds by year-end. Spot bitcoin ETFs recorded $86.3 million inflows on June 13, bringing monthly totals to $939 million according to Farside Investors data. Geopolitical uncertainty now dominates sentiment, with Polymarket traders pricing 91% probability of Iranian retaliation this month. The escalating conflict creates cross-market trading opportunities as investors rotate capital. Cryptocurrencies showed heightened correlation with risk assets during the selloff, with bitcoin's 24-hour decline mirroring the 1.16% drop in E-mini S&P 500 futures. Institutional flows highlight diverging behaviors: while spot ETFs attracted $198.6 million combined daily inflows for BTC and ETH, derivatives markets saw massive deleveraging. Total open interest plummeted from $55 billion on June 12 to $49.31 billion by June 13 according to Velo data, with Binance alone shedding $2.5 billion overnight. Options markets turned defensive, with Deribit reporting BTC and ETH put/call ratios jumping to 1.28 and 1.25 respectively, indicating surging demand for downside protection. Funding rates turned deeply negative across altcoins: ETH at -7.99%, DOT at -15.2%, and SHIB at -44.5% on Deribit. Coinglass data revealed $1.16 billion liquidations on June 13, 90% from long positions, with $84 million clustered between $102,000-$104,000 bitcoin. Technically, ether breached its critical 200-day exponential moving average near $2,480 before partial recovery. Bitcoin dominance rose 0.7% to 64.77%, reflecting relative resilience. Crypto equities underperformed: Coinbase closed down 3.84% at $241.05 while MicroStrategy fell 1.9% to $379.76. The ETH/BTC ratio dropped 3.52% to 0.02412, signaling altcoin weakness. Upcoming token unlocks pose additional pressure, with $31.28 million ARB and $37.26 million ZK scheduled between June 16-17. Monitoring the 50-day SMA at $103,150 for bitcoin and gold's correlation remains critical; further escalation could see crypto-testing lower supports as oil approaches $120 according to Bloomberg analysis. Key events include Brazil's SOL futures launch on June 16 and the U.S. Senate's stablecoin vote on June 17. Frequently asked questions include: How did Middle East tensions affect crypto derivatives? The conflict caused open interest to drop $5.69 billion in 24 hours and shifted options skew toward puts. What levels are critical for bitcoin? The $103,150 50-day SMA and $102,000 liquidation cluster require monitoring. Did ETF flows continue during the selloff? Yes, spot bitcoin and ether ETFs attracted $86.3 million and $112.3 million respectively on June 13.
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Bitcoin price drop
Israel Iran conflict impact
Solana ETF approval
Cryptocurrency liquidations
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