U.S. adds four Iran central bank crypto wallets to sanctions, Tether freezes $131 million of contents
CoinDesk 2026-07-16 10:07:06
Context: The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on four cryptocurrency wallets linked to the Central Bank of Iran, leading to the freezing of $131 million in Tether (USDT) held in these wallets. This action is part of a broader effort to restrict Iran's access to the global financial system, amid heightened tensions between the two countries. The sanctions were added after a ceasefire agreement broke down and air and drone strikes resumed.
Key Facts
- The four cryptocurrency wallets, based on the Tron blockchain, had received over $165 million in stablecoins before Tether froze $131 million in USDT held by these accounts.
- The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added these wallets to its sanctions list, bringing the total amount of blocked USDT linked to Iran's central bank to roughly $475 million.
- Iran's central bank has accumulated at least $507 million in USDT, using the token to support the rial, according to Elliptic.
- The frozen tokens remain visible on-chain, but the addresses can no longer transfer or redeem them, although the funds remain under the control of the wallets belonging to Iran's central bank.
- The Central Bank of Iran has been blocked under U.S. counterterrorism authorization since 2019 over its support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and Hezbollah.