US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the US authorities ordered the freezing of greater than $130 million in cryptocurrency held in wallets linked to Iran on Tuesday, as hostilities ramped up within the Center East.
Earlier on Tuesday, blockchain investigator Specter pointed to onchain knowledge exhibiting Tether froze 4 Tron wallets holding $131 million price of USDt (USDT). Bessent confirmed on X that the wallets had been tied to the Central Financial institution of Iran.
“US Treasury is dedicated to disrupting and degrading Iran’s illicit monetary actions, together with its abuse of digital property,” Bessent stated Tuesday. “We are going to proceed to aggressively comply with the cash and deny the Iranian regime entry to the proceeds of its illicit income schemes.”
The asset freeze comes amid a collapse within the ceasefire between the US and Iran. The US stated it has renewed its blockade of Iranian ports, whereas the US army’s Central Command introduced a brand new wave of strikes on Iran. In the meantime, Iran’s army claimed on Tuesday that it carried out drone strikes in opposition to US army services at Jordan’s Al Azraq Air Base.
Supply: Scott Bessent
The transfer follows the same freeze in April, when stablecoin issuer Tether confirmed it had frozen greater than $344 million in USDT on the request of US authorities.
In Could, Bessent stated the US has seized round $1 billion in Iranian crypto property as a part of the US monetary strain marketing campaign in opposition to Iran often called Operation Financial Fury, which launched in March 2025.
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“By means of Financial Fury, the Treasury Division is disrupting the international procurement networks that assist the Iranian army’s efforts to amass weapons,” Bessent stated in a press release in June.
“Treasury has frozen the Iranian regime’s property, severely disrupted its economic system, and dismantled the Iranian conflict machine. Treasury is not going to tolerate any assist of the Iranian army.”
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