US Treasury Sanctions Iran-Linked Crypto Wallets, Freezing Over $130 Million in USDT

In a significant move to disrupt Iran’s illicit financial networks, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced the sanctioning of multiple cryptocurrency wallets tied to Iran, leading to the freezing of over $130 million in USDT.

A Coordinated Strike Against Illicit Finance

The sanctioned wallets are believed to be linked to the Central Bank of Iran, underscoring the U.S. government’s commitment to combating the use of digital assets for illicit activities. Secretary Bessent took to social media platform X on Tuesday to declare, “We will continue to aggressively pursue financial flows to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring illicit gains.”

.@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

On-Chain Intelligence Precedes Official Announcement

While Secretary Bessent’s statement did not detail further actions beyond the sanctioning, the enforcement operation was first brought to light minutes earlier by on-chain analyst Specter. Specter disclosed that Tether, the issuer of USDT, had frozen four wallets on the Tron blockchain, collectively holding approximately $131 million in USDT.

Specter’s analysis revealed that these addresses were not only connected to the Central Bank of Iran but also implicated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The analyst further noted that a significant portion of these substantial funds had been withdrawn from payment service provider DTC Pay and cryptocurrency exchange Bitso. At the time of Specter’s initial report, the precise reasons for the freezes were unknown, with official confirmation arriving shortly after from the U.S. Treasury.

The wallet is linked OFAC sanctioned ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS (IRGC)- CENTRAL BANK OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN (BANK MARKAZI JOMHOURI ISLAMI IRAN) pic.twitter.com/f0wlcHrYDR

— Specter (@SpecterAnalyst) July 14, 2026

Tether’s Growing Role in Global Law Enforcement

This latest action is part of a broader trend of increased cooperation between the cryptocurrency industry and law enforcement agencies. There has been a series of substantial USDT freezes recently, often linked to OFAC sanctions lists or ongoing investigations. In April of this year, Tether assisted U.S. authorities in freezing two TRON addresses holding over $344 million in USDT after warnings about their alleged involvement in illicit activities.

According to data released by Tether, as of April, the company has established collaborations with over 340 law enforcement agencies across 65 countries. Cumulatively, Tether has aided in more than 2,300 cross-border investigations, leading to the freezing of over $4.4 billion in illicit assets. Notably, more than $2.1 billion of these freezes were conducted in direct cooperation with U.S. authorities, highlighting Tether’s significant contribution to global efforts against financial crime.