24.04.2026 22:00
A heavy blow came to Iran's economy from the US. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that $344 million worth of Iran's cryptocurrency has been frozen.
The US Treasury Department announced that a total of $344 million worth of cryptocurrency, identified as linked to the Iranian regime, has been frozen. The department reported that these funds, held in two major digital wallets, were blocked through "smart contracts" and rendered completely unusable.
WORTH 344 MILLION DOLLARS
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in his announcement: "Under Economic Fury, we will continue to systematically weaken Tehran's ability to generate, transfer, and repatriate funds.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is sanctioning multiple wallets linked to Iran — resulting in the freezing of $344 million in cryptocurrency. We will track the money Tehran desperately tries to move out of the country and target all financial lifelines tied to the regime."
IRAN DEMANDED CRYPTO PAYMENTS FROM SHIPS PASSING THROUGH HORMUZ
Iran's plan, starting from April 2026, to demand passage fees in cryptocurrency (BTC or USDT) per barrel from oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz has escalated into a new phase with the US's harsh move to block this traffic. The freezing of the $344 million in crypto assets, which you reported, represents a direct US intervention against this digital payment system established by Iran to bypass sanctions. This situation, on one hand, leads to serious disruptions and security risks in energy shipments in the region, while on the other hand, it stands out as one of the largest operations in the global financial system regarding "crypto sanctions."