U.S. Seizes Nearly $500M in Iranian Crypto Assets

The United States has seized nearly 500 million dollars in Iranian cryptocurrency assets as part of Operation Economic Fury, a sanctions campaign launched in March 2025 to disrupt Tehran's financial networks, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Wednesday.

Bessent disclosed the figure during an interview on Fox Business, noting it exceeds a previously reported total of 344 million dollars in frozen assets. Last week, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned several cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran, and stablecoin issuer Tether confirmed freezing more than 344 million dollars in USDT at the request of U.S. authorities. "We are freezing bank accounts everywhere," Bessent said. "More importantly, we are making people less willing to deal with the regime." He added that the effort also targets retirement funds and overseas real estate owned by Iranian officials.

Operation Economic Fury, directed by President Donald Trump, employs asset seizures, bank account freezes, and secondary sanctions against countries continuing to purchase Iranian oil. Since February 2025, the Treasury has sanctioned more than 1,000 Iran-related persons, vessels, and aircraft....