financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
Tether's $344 million USDT freeze linked to U.S. 'Economic Fury' against Iran regime
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Tether's $344 million USDT freeze linked to U.S. 'Economic Fury' against Iran regime
Apr 24, 2026 2:10 PM

The U.S. Treasury Department said Friday that a $344 million cryptocurrency freeze is part of its latest effort to disrupt financial networks tied to Iran.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an X post that the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning multiple crypto wallets linked to Iran, resulting in the freeze of $344 million in cryptocurrency.

"We will follow the money that Tehran is desperately attempting to move outside of the country and target all financial lifelines tied to the regime," Bessent said, adding the effort is part of a broader campaign dubbed "Economic Fury."

The post follows action taken Thursday by stablecoin issuer Tether blacklisting two blockchain addresses on Tron holding $344 million in USDT altogether.

The company did not return a request for comment.

A U.S. official told CoinDesk that the sanctioned wallets showed material links to the Iranian regime, including transactions with Iranian exchanges and routing through intermediary addresses connected to wallets associated with the Central Bank of Iran. According to the Treasury Department, Iran's central bank has been leaning into digital assets to try to mask its cross-border transactions.

Authorities said Iran has increasingly turned to crypto to bypass restrictions, using more complex transaction patterns to obscure its involvement in cross-border payments and support trade flows under sanctions pressure.

Treasury's OFAC is trying to turn up the pressure by moving aggressively against both the traditional front companies and the use of digital assets, the official said. Meanwhile, it sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co. on Friday, accusing the China-based independent refineries of playing a major role in Iran’s oil economy.

The U.S. agency said it continues to work with blockchain analytics firms and maintains coordination with financial institutions, including crypto exchanges, as it tracks illicit flows tied to sanctioned entities.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
US Dollar Rises Early Wednesday Ahead of Crude Oil Stocks
US Dollar Rises Early Wednesday Ahead of Crude Oil Stocks
Oct 22, 2025
07:47 AM EDT, 10/22/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The US dollar rose against its major trading partners early Wednesday, except for a decline versus the yen, ahead of a quiet day that includes only weekly petroleum stocks inventory data at 10:30 am ET and an appearance by Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr at 4:00 pm ET. Barr is not expected to...
Factbox-US government shutdown: How it affects key economic data publishing
Factbox-US government shutdown: How it affects key economic data publishing
Oct 21, 2025
(Reuters) - The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on October 1 after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement to extend funding past the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30. The closure has shut off the flow of key economic data at a moment of uncertainty among policymakers and investors about the health...
Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Oct. 21
Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Oct. 21
Oct 21, 2025
02:30 PM EDT, 10/21/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's services reading fell to minus 22.2 in October from minus 12.3 in September, in line with the New York Fed's report that also showed more widespread contraction. Redbook reported that US same-store retail sales were up 5.0% year-over-year in the week ended Oct. 18, slower than a 5.9% gain...
Factbox-US government shutdown: How it affects key economic data publishing
Factbox-US government shutdown: How it affects key economic data publishing
Oct 21, 2025
(Reuters) - The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on October 1 after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement to extend funding past the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30. The closure has shut off the flow of key economic data at a moment of uncertainty among policymakers and investors about the health...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved