US Treasury Freezes Over $130 Million in Cryptocurrency Linked to Iran's Central Bank

The US Treasury Department, in coordination with stablecoin issuer Tether, has frozen over $130 million in USDT across four Tron wallets linked to the Central Bank of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on July 14, 2026, the action is part of Operation Economic Fury, a broad financial pressure campaign that has restricted nearly $1 billion in Iranian digital assets to disrupt sanctions evasion and military financing.

Treasury freezes Iranian cryptocurrency wallets

• ▪The United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned multiple cryptocurrency wallets linked to the Central Bank of Iran, freezing over $130 million
• ▪The frozen Tron wallets were linked to the Central Bank of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with funds previously withdrawn from DTC Pay and Bitso
• ▪On-chain data analyzed by investigator Specter showed that four Tron network wallets holding a combined $131 million in USDT stablecoins were frozen on July 14, 2026

Iran sanctions evasion methods

• ▪Iran utilizes cryptocurrency and digital asset networks to bypass international banking limitations, conduct foreign trade, and support the domestic rial currency
• ▪The Central Bank of Iran has used front companies, opaque financial infrastructure, and domestic crypto exchanges to mask the origins of government transactions and move billions of dollars

OFAC private sector cooperation

• ▪Tether previously collaborated with United States authorities in April 2026 to freeze over $344 million in USDT across two Tron addresses linked to Iranian state actors
• ▪Private sector partner Tether cooperated with United States authorities by implementing the freeze on the four specified Tron blockchain addresses using built-in token-level controls

Economic Fury sanctions initiative

• ▪As of May 2026, United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reported that the United States had seized or frozen nearly $1 billion in total of Iran-linked cryptocurrency
• ▪The cryptocurrency freeze was executed under Operation Economic Fury, a broader United States pressure campaign launched in March 2025 to disrupt Iran's financial and military procurement networks

Blockchain monitoring enforcement tools

• ▪In June 2026, the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four major Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges, including Nobitex, which handled over 50% of domestic crypto inflows in 2025
• ▪United States authorities utilize blockchain monitoring, collaboration with stablecoin issuers, and centralized smart-contract controls to trace and restrict the flow of illicit digital assets across public blockchains