U.S. Treasury Secretary Says U.S. Has Seized Approximately $1 Billion in Iranian Crypto Assets

Odaily Odaily Planet Daily News U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that since the conflict broke out in February, the U.S. government has seized a significant amount of crypto assets, worth approximately $1 billion, from entities linked to the Iranian military. Scott Bessent also indicated that the U.S. has taken direct control of the relevant wallets, and some holders may not yet be aware that their assets have been seized.



This month, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was accused of promoting a Bitcoin-based maritime insurance platform called Hormuz Safe. Iran has also previously planned to require oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay transit fees in Bitcoin. Scott Bessent did not directly link this seizure to the aforementioned arrangements, nor did he specify whether Bitcoin was involved.



Separately, allegations have been made that actors linked to Iran used Tether's USDT stablecoin to transfer funds, and that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly received $1.5 billion in USDT.