How Whales Bought and Unloaded Crypto During the U.S.–Iran Conflict?

Jakarta, Pintu News – The US-Iran conflict that shook global markets made the movement of crypto whales not just driven by panic or blind optimism. They are rotating. On-chain data shows whales are buying and selling with precision, aiming to capitalize on volatility rather than betting on one direction.

Some tokens are collected silently, while others are released when the price rallies. Analysts on the BeInCrypto page identified three tokens that are currently the focus of whale positions-which could open up long and short setup opportunities for traders who monitor closely.

Crypto Bought: The White Whale (WHITEWHALE)

Amid volatility due to the US-Iran conflict, whale accumulation in The White Whale (WHITEWHALE) is seen as a selective move. While the general crypto market reacted sharply to the war headlines, whale wallets increased WHITEWHALE holdings by 3.59% on March 3.

Read also: Altcoin Season is Changing: This Crypto Analyst Says “The Formula” Has Changed!

Total holdings now stand at 14.07 million tokens, which means about 487,000 WHITEWHALE were added in just one day.

On the 12-hour chart (3/3), the price structure is still bearish. There is a clear head-and-shoulders pattern, which generally indicates further downside potential. If the neckline is broken, the downside projection could approach 60%. However, there is one indicator that could explain why whales keep buying despite the high risk.

The Smart Money Index-which monitors the positions of informed traders and alpha hunters-began moving close to the signal line on February 28, coinciding with the escalation of the US-Iran conflict. A similar move had occurred on January 25; that time the Smart Money Index broke above the signal line, and WHITEWHALE gained about 221%.

On March 3, a new crossover appeared again. This signal is still early and requires further confirmation, but whales likely started taking positions before validation was established. WHITEWHALE is trading at around $0.048, up about 14% in 24 hours.

For the rally to be stronger, the price needs to break $0.058 and then $0.069. The bearish pattern only starts to weaken if the price moves above $0.107. Full invalidation is around $0.153, which for now still seems unlikely.

Thus, in this phase of the US-Iran conflict, whale accumulation against The White Whale seems to be more of a smart money signal than a response to the war news frenzy. Even so, downside risks remain significant as the technical pattern is still bearish.

If smart money starts to unwind positions and WHITEWHALE drops through $0.029, it could trigger a pattern breakdown, open up a whale-led selloff opportunity, and push prices towards lower levels.

Tokens for Sale: WAR (WAR)

If whale accumulation on The White Whale reflects selective positioning during the US-Iran conflict, then whale action selling WAR shows the other side of the rotation. The irony is hard to ignore: the Solana (SOL)-based token WAR is up more than 40% in the last 24 hours (3/3) and nearly 54% in the last seven days, just as real-world war headlines dominate the market.

However, the whales did not chase the increase. Instead, they got out of position.

On-chain data shows WAR whales slashed holdings by 32.86% in just 24 hours (3/3). Their total holdings now stand at 9.95 million tokens, which means about 4.86 million WAR were released in a single day. Even the top 100 addresses also reduced holdings by 1.34%, a strong signal that large players are reducing exposure as prices rally.

From a technical standpoint, the hourly chart displayed a warning sign. Between the two candles on March 2, the price formed a higher high, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) formed a lower high. The RSI measures momentum on a scale of 0-100. When the price rises but the RSI falls, this is called a bearish divergence.

It usually signals that the buying impulse is starting to weaken and may trigger a short-term trend reversal from bullish to bearish, thus aligning with the whale sell-off.

Currently, WAR needs a strong hourly candle close above $0.030 for the rally to continue towards $0.034. If the $0.026 support is broken (which is currently holding), the next important level is around $0.020. Such a move equates to a potential drop of around 27% from current levels.

Read also: 3 Meme Coins that are in the Spotlight in Early March 2026, Potential to Soar?

With the whale selloff during the US-Iran conflict phase and the bearish divergence still in place, a bearish scenario now looks more likely than a continuation of the explosive rise to the upside.

Selling Tokens: Uniswap (UNI)

The whale sell-off of Uniswap (UNI) amid the US-Iran conflict is the most contrasting move.

The DeFi sector is a relatively strong one.

Uniswap has just achieved a significant legal victory.

On the daily chart, the cup-and-handle structure still projects a bigger potential breakout towards $6.18 if confirmed. However, whales are reducing positions.

The supply of UNI held by whales (off-exchange) fell from 639.19 million UNI on February 27 to 637.61 million UNI today. That’s a reduction of 1.58 million UNI. At the current price, that’s about $6.1 million worth of tokens released. The selling started before the full escalation of the US-Iran conflict, so it was more of a positioning than a panic response.

Even so, whales continue to reduce some holdings even today, despite bullish legal news catalysts.

Technically, UNI formed a cup-and-handle, but the handle consolidation phase that started around February 25 lasted longer than expected. In the period from January 28 to March 2, the price formed a lower high, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) formed a higher high.

When the RSI rises but the price fails to make a higher high in the context of the broader downtrend, this forms a hidden bearish divergence, which often leads to a short-term pullback.

For strength to be confirmed, UNI needs to reclaim $4.40, which is the 0.618 Fibonacci level. If this level is broken and maintained, the areas of $4.99, $5.89, and $6.18 are the next targets. Conversely, if the price drops near $3.53, the pattern structure weakens. A breakdown below $2.83 will invalidate the structure.

With whales continuing to sell during the US-Iran conflict phase despite positive fundamentals, this situation may indicate that the recent DeFi rotation is more of a short-term positioning than a long-term conviction.

Follow us on Google News to stay up to date with the latest in crypto and blockchain technology. Check Bitcoin price, usdt to idr and tokenized nvidia stock price through Pintu Market.

Enjoy an easy and secure crypto trading and crypto gold investment experience by downloading the Pintu crypto app via Play Store or App Store now. Also, experience web trading with advanced trading tools such as pro charting, various order types, and portfolio tracker only at Pintu Pro.

*Disclaimer

This content aims to enrich readers’ information. Pintu collects this information from various relevant sources and is not influenced by outside parties. Note that an asset’s past performance does not determine its projected future performance. Crypto trading activities are subject to high risk and volatility, always do your own research and use cold hard cash before investing. All activities of buying and selling Bitcoin and other crypto asset investments are the responsibility of the reader.

Reference:

• BeInCrypto. Crypto Whales Buy and Sell Amid US-Iran Tensions: On-Chain Analysis. Accessed on March 6, 2026