U.S. adds four Iran central bank crypto wallets to sanctions, Tether freezes $131 million of contents
The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned four crypto wallets linked to the Central Bank of Iran, prompting Tether to freeze $131 million in USDT held within those accounts. This action is part of ongoing efforts to prevent the Iranian government from using stablecoins to bypass international sanctions and support state-aligned military groups.
Why it matters
It demonstrates the increasing role of stablecoin issuers as gatekeepers in global financial compliance and their cooperation with U.S. foreign policy objectives.
The four Tron-blockchain wallets had received more than $165 million in stablecoins, according to Chainalysis . Tether blocked $131 million in USDT held by the accounts, though some of the funds had moved before the freeze.
Sanctioning the wallets gives exchanges, custodians and compliance firms a clear set of addresses to screen for. Iran’s central bank has accumulated at least $507 million in USDT , according to Elliptic, using the token to support the rial.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has said its published wallet lists are not exhaustive, meaning other addresses controlled by the bank may still qualify as blocked property.
Tuesday’s OFAC update expands on an existing designation rather than imposing new sanctions. 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.
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