Involving over $100 Million in Crude Oil Payments, US Expands Sanctions on Iran's Crypto Sector

Odaily News: The U.S. Department of the Treasury has expanded its sanctions framework against Iran to include the digital asset sector, stating that related crypto payments exceeding $100 million have been used to facilitate Iranian crude oil sales. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has also imposed sanctions on nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels involved in nuclear, missile, cyber, and crude oil networks.

This digital asset-related sanctions designation allows OFAC to sanction foreign individuals and companies operating in Iran's digital asset sector or providing support services to related fields. The U.S. Treasury stated that Iran is increasingly using cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions, including processing transactions linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and government insiders.

The U.S. Treasury stated that Ivan Obukhov, a Ukrainian national based in the UAE, has processed over $100 million in crypto payments since 2023 to facilitate crude oil sales on behalf of the IRGC's Quds Force. OFAC has added Ivan Obukhov and his UAE-based company, Foscom FZE, to the sanctions list. (Cointelegraph)