美国扣押10亿美元伊朗加密资产，特朗普比特币储备或将受益

Overview

On May 29, 2026, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced at the Reagan National Economic Forum that the U.S. government has seized approximately $1 billion in cryptocurrency assets linked to Iran under "Operation Economic Fury." This is not only the largest single sovereign crypto enforcement action to date but has also sparked widespread market discussion following Bessent's previous statement that confiscated Bitcoin would be included in the U.S. Digital Asset Strategic Reserve.

The operation, involving on-chain freezes, wallet seizures, and inter-agency coordination, reveals a new role for cryptocurrency within the national sanctions framework: it serves both as an evasion tool for sanctioned parties and an increasingly precise enforcement mechanism for regulators.

Key Takeaways

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent confirmed the U.S. has seized approximately $1 billion in Iranian crypto assets through "Operation Economic Fury"

The single largest action occurred on April 24, 2026: Tether, under OFAC directive, froze 344 million USDT in two Iran Central Bank wallets on the Tron blockchain

Estimates suggest Iran was previously moving approximately $400 to $500 million monthly through crypto channels, primarily to settle oil sales under sanctions

Bessent clearly stated that confiscated Bitcoin will be used to bolster the U.S. Digital Asset Strategic Reserve, rather than being sold on the open market

Blockchain analytics firms like Chainalysis assisted on-chain tracing, marking public blockchains' formal integration into sanctions enforcement infrastructure

Operation Economic Fury: Comprehensive Pressure from Military to Economic

"Operation Economic Fury" is not an isolated event. On February 27, 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military strike codenamed "Operation Epic Fury," targeting Iran's nuclear facilities and Revolutionary Guard command centers. Following the military action, the Trump administration initiated a parallel economic pressure strategy.

According to a Fox Business report, Bessent stated in an interview with Larry Kudlow: "We've seized about a billion dollars of their crypto, just taken the wallets. Some people might still be typing, not knowing their wallets have been seized."

Since the operation's inception, the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned over 1,000 Iran-linked entities and wallet addresses, frozen bank accounts associated with the Revolutionary Guard, and coordinated with multiple governments to seize Iranian-held real estate abroad. According to Bitcoin News analysis, Bessent's initial disclosure in late April cited a figure "close to $500 million," while the latest figure on May 29 has surpassed the $1 billion mark, indicating an escalation in enforcement intensity.

Tether's Key Role: A Breakdown of the $344 Million USDT Freeze

The largest and most documented single enforcement action in this operation occurred on April 24, 2026.

According to a detailed CoinDesk report, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis identified two Tron addresses on-chain with transaction patterns highly consistent with known IRGC wallets. OFAC subsequently added these addresses to the sanctions list, and Tether executed the freeze at the smart contract level that same day, completely locking 344 million USDT across the two wallets.

On May 13, on-chain intelligence platform Arkham Intelligence completed address labeling, confirming the wallets belonged to the Central Bank of Iran, with the asset portfolio primarily consisting of 344 million USDT, along with small amounts of TRX and other tokens.

This event highlights a core issue long debated in regulatory discussions: USDT lacks the censorship resistance of Bitcoin. As a stablecoin issued and controlled by a company, Tether can freeze any address at the contract level, meaning sovereign entities or individuals holding significant USDT effectively bear the counterparty risk of the issuer complying with regulatory directives.

Currently, multiple family members of victims who secured judgments against Iran in U.S. anti-terrorism courts have filed motions in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, requesting Tether to transfer these frozen assets directly for compensation. According to a CryptoTimes report, the plaintiffs argue that since OFAC has identified the wallets as property of a sanctioned entity, the assets should be considered "blocked property" under U.S. law.

Why Does Iran Rely on Cryptocurrency?

Understanding the strategic significance of this operation requires a look at Iran's long-established crypto evasion system.

According to The Block's analysis, before the escalation of enforcement, the Iranian government was moving approximately $400 to $500 million monthly through crypto channels. The primary pathway involved settling revenues from restricted oil sales in USDT, transferring them cross-border via the Tron network, and then laundering and cashing out through intermediary wallets and local Iranian exchanges.

The choice of USDT and Tron was not accidental. The Tron network offers fast transaction speeds and extremely low fees, while USDT's peg to the US dollar makes it suitable for large-value transfers, far more practical than volatile Bitcoin. This combination served as a crucial supplementary channel for Iran to bypass the SWIFT system.

However, this system has a structural flaw: Tron is a public blockchain, meaning all transactions can be traced; USDT is a centralized stablecoin whose issuer can execute freezes at any time. Choosing USDT provided convenience but sacrificed censorship resistance—a trade-off that ultimately proved fatal.

Notably, according to a Protos report, amidst rising tensions, Iran even considered requiring ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay transit fees in Bitcoin, a proposal highlighting internal debates within Iran over crypto policy.

Where Will Seized Assets Go? Potential Variables for Trump's Bitcoin Reserve

Another key market focus of this event is the ultimate destination of the seized assets.

The Block documented Bessent's statement from August 2025: "This administration's policy is to include confiscated Bitcoin in the Digital Asset Reserve, not sell it on the market." This stance has been reiterated on multiple occasions in 2026.

However, according to an in-depth analysis by CryptoSlate, at least three uncertainties remain:

First, the composition of assets is unclear. Bessent did not disclose the specific proportion of Bitcoin, USDT, and other tokens among the seized assets. Trump's strategic reserve is specifically for Bitcoin, not all digital assets.

Second, legal status varies. Moving from "frozen" to "confiscated" requires a full judicial process. Taking the $344 million USDT frozen by Tether as an example, it currently faces both OFAC sanctions procedures and court litigation, with multiple legal disputes over its ultimate ownership.

Third, diplomatic negotiations remain uncertain. According to a Bitcoinist report, the U.S. and Iran are negotiating an extension of the ceasefire agreement, and unfreezing seized Iranian assets is a key bargaining chip for Iran. This means some assets could potentially be returned or used for diplomatic exchanges in the future.

Regardless, this series of actions has sent a clear signal to the market: confiscated Bitcoin will not be sold to suppress prices but will be held as a strategic asset by the U.S. government.

Deep Impact on the Crypto Market

The implications of this event extend far beyond geopolitics.

The sovereign risk of stablecoins is amplified. Tether's compliance action once again proves that centralized stablecoins inherently carry the risk exposure of the issuer's regulatory policy. Entities holding large amounts of USDT are essentially betting that Tether will not take action against their addresses. This logic is being re-evaluated within institutional risk management frameworks.

Mature on-chain tracking capabilities have changed the rules. The case of Chainalysis assisting in identifying IRGC wallets demonstrates that blockchain analysis precision is now sufficient to support national-level enforcement. The perception that "crypto is anonymous" has long ceased to be true on public blockchains.

Public blockchains are becoming sanctions infrastructure. In this operation, the transparency of the Tron blockchain became an enforcement tool. In the long term, this could push more sovereign funds towards networks with stronger privacy features or increase the importance of on-chain privacy protocols.

The divergence in demand for Bitcoin and USDT may accelerate. Following this event, the market narrative has created a clearer distinction between Bitcoin as a truly censorship-resistant asset and USDT as an efficient but controlled settlement tool.

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Exclusive Insights from the MEXC Crypto Pulse Research Team

The crypto enforcement actions under Operation Economic Fury signal the arrival of national-level financial warfare on-chain.

From a market structure perspective, this seizure operation has several dimensions worthy of long-term follow-up:

First, the Bitcoin reserve narrative gains new empirical support. Bessent's statement that "confiscated assets go into the reserve" means the U.S. government is effectively becoming a continuous buyer of Bitcoin—though this "purchase" comes from enforcement, not market buying. From the supply side, Bitcoin entering government cold wallets will not circulate, which is positive for long-term supply-demand dynamics.

Second, Tether's regulatory collaboration model is solidifying. This is not the first time Tether has cooperated with OFAC to freeze wallets, but $344 million is the largest single action to date. The continued strengthening of this model means financial institutions holding USDT must formally incorporate "freezing risk" into their risk management frameworks, rather than treating it as a low-probability event.

Third, the transmission path of geopolitical events to the crypto market is changing. In the past, wars and sanctions typically affected markets through the "risk appetite decline → capital exodus" path. Now, the Iran event is creating impact through a new pathway: "compliance pressure → stablecoin scrutiny → Bitcoin narrative reinforcement." These two paths work in opposite directions, and the final outcome depends on which force is stronger.

For traders focused on macro narratives, this event warrants continuous monitoring: ceasefire negotiation results, legal progress on seized assets, and specific disclosures of the Trump strategic reserve's composition could all become market catalysts in the coming months.

FAQ

Q1: What is Operation Economic Fury?

Operation Economic Fury is an economic sanctions operation against Iran authorized by U.S. President Trump and led by the Treasury Department, launched around March 2025. The objective is to completely cut off the Iranian government's funding sources by freezing bank accounts, seizing crypto assets, and pressuring third-party countries.

Q2: How much Iranian crypto has the U.S. seized?

As of May 29, 2026, Treasury Secretary Bessent announced cumulative seizures of approximately $1 billion. The largest single action was the freeze of 344 million USDT by Tether on April 24 under OFAC directive. The overall enforcement operation is ongoing.

Q3: What types of crypto assets have been seized?

The most clearly documented asset is USDT on the Tron network. U.S. officials have not yet disclosed the specific composition of other seized assets. Market focus is on whether Bitcoin is among them, as this would directly impact the scale of Trump's strategic reserve.

Q4: Will the confiscated Bitcoin actually enter Trump's strategic reserve?

Bessent has clearly stated that government policy is to include confiscated Bitcoin in the Digital Asset Strategic Reserve, not sell it. However, operational prerequisites exist: the assets must complete the legal confiscation process, and their type must be confirmed as Bitcoin. Some assets are currently still in a frozen state, with legal determination pending.

Q5: What does Tether freezing wallets mean?

As the centralized issuer of USDT, Tether possesses the technical capability to lock specific addresses at the contract level. When OFAC adds a wallet to the sanctions list, Tether can cooperate to execute the freeze, preventing USDT in that address from being transferred. This fundamentally differs from the censorship-resistant properties of decentralized assets like Bitcoin.

Q6: What is the market impact of this event?

In the short term, Bitcoin receives structural support from the "strengthened strategic reserve asset narrative." In the medium to long term, the event accelerates the market's repricing of the sovereign risk of centralized stablecoins and the value of Bitcoin's decentralization. Rising on-chain compliance pressure may also push more institutional capital to reassess asset allocation structures.

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Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or financial consultation. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile and uncertain. Investors should exercise independent judgment based on their own risk tolerance and consult a professional financial advisor when necessary. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The data and information cited in this article are based on publicly available materials at the time of writing, and the relevant circumstances may change at any time.