Iran’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, has suffered a major security breach that resulted in the loss of tens of millions of dollars in digital assets—an incident that may mark a new front in the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
In a statement shared on June 18 via X, Nobitex disclosed that it had detected unauthorised access to its hot wallet and parts of its infrastructure earlier in the day. While the exchange did not disclose the exact financial impact, it assured users that all affected clients would be fully compensated using its insurance reserves and internal funds. Nobitex also emphasised that its cold storage assets remained secure.
However, independent blockchain analyst ZachXBT later estimated the loss to be approximately $81.7 million, citing suspicious outflows across multiple blockchains, including Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Tron, and several Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains.
Notably, one of the attacker’s wallet signatures included the provocative phrase “FuckIRGCTerroristsNoBiTEX”, sparking speculation of a politically motivated cyberattack. That suspicion was confirmed when Gonjeshke Darande—a pro-Israel hacking collective also known as Predatory Sparrow—claimed responsibility in a separate X post. The group accused Nobitex of aiding Iran in bypassing international sanctions and financing terrorism, warning that it intends to publicly release the exchange’s internal data and source code within 24 hours.
ALT TXT: Nobitex attack
Source: X
The cyberattack comes just days after a volatile military exchange between the two nations. On June 13, Israeli airstrikes reportedly targeted military and nuclear sites in Tehran, prompting retaliatory missile fire from Iran.
Nobitex has previously drawn criticism for its role in facilitating crypto transactions that allegedly helped sanctioned entities move funds. A Reuters investigation revealed that between 2018 and 2022, nearly $8 billion in transactions flowed between Nobitex and the global exchange Binance, raising alarms about the platform’s compliance practices.
Meanwhile, Global cryptocurrency markets continue to reel, with Bitcoin and altcoins dipping sharply on June 16 as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East intensify.
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