The United States has frozen more than $130 million in cryptocurrency linked to Iran’s central bank, emphasizing another major enforcement action against the country’s digital asset network.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on July 14 that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned several crypto wallets connected to the Central Bank of Iran. The action resulted in more than $130 million in digital assets being frozen as part of Washington’s effort to disrupt Iran’s financial operations.
.@USTreasury is committed to disrupting and degrading Iran’s illicit financial activities, including its abuse of digital assets. Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned multiple wallets tied to the Central Bank of Iran, resulting in the freeze of over $130…
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) July 14, 2026
Bessent said the Treasury would continue to target digital assets used to evade sanctions, adding that US authorities would “follow the money” and restrict access to funds tied to Iranian government revenue networks.
Four Tron wallets held about $131 million in USDT
Blockchain investigator Specter identified four wallets on the Tron network holding a combined $131 million in USDT. Reports based on the on-chain analysis said Tether froze the wallets, preventing the stablecoins from being transferred.
While Bessent did not disclose the wallet addresses, the Treasury confirmed they were linked to Iran’s central bank. Officials have not explained how the funds were obtained or what they were intended to finance.
The freeze was carried out using Tether’s issuer-level controls, which allow the company to block sanctioned USDT from moving without making changes to the underlying blockchain.
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How does this compare with earlier Iran-linked crypto freezes?
The latest action follows a larger enforcement operation in April, when Tether froze about $344 million in USDT across two Tron wallets linked to Iranian financial networks.
At the time, blockchain investigators connected the wallets to entities associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and intermediaries linked to the country’s central bank. One wallet held about $213 million, while another contained roughly $131 million.
Treasury officials have since increased pressure on Iran’s crypto infrastructure. In June, the department sanctioned four Iranian crypto exchanges, including Nobitex, accusing the platforms of helping move digital assets despite international sanctions.
Treasury expands crypto crackdown amid rising tensions
The latest sanctions come as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to rise. Alongside military and economic measures, Washington has expanded its focus on cryptocurrency networks it believes are used to bypass sanctions.
Treasury has described the effort as part of Operation Economic Fury, a campaign targeting crypto exchanges, wallets, front companies, and other financial channels allegedly used to move Iranian funds.
The latest freeze also shows the role centralized stablecoins can play in sanctions enforcement. Unlike decentralized cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, USDT allows its issuer to freeze assets held in sanctioned wallets, making it a key tool in law enforcement actions involving illicit financial activity.
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