U.S. Sanctions Iran's Digital Assets Sector, Bitcoin and USDT Under Scrutiny

The U.S. has expanded its financial offensive against Iran by declaring its digital assets sector sanctionable. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is increasing pressure on platforms and operations linked to Tehran, where Bitcoin (BTC) and USDT are used as financial alternatives. Iran moved over $7.8 billion in cryptocurrencies over the past year, according to Chainalysis. This amount corresponds to on-chain recorded operations and does not imply that they are state funds, although part of the activity was linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). USDT has gained relevance amid the loss of value of the rial, with the Iranian central bank acquiring at least $507 million in USDT, according to leaked documents from 2025. Nobitex, Wallex, Bitpin, and Ramzinex were sanctioned in June, along with two executives from Nobitex. On August 24, OFAC formalized the Iranian digital assets sector as sanctionable under Executive Order 13902. Since April, the U.S. has frozen or sanctioned about $1 billion in cryptocurrencies linked to Iran, including $344 million in USDT blocked by Tether. Cryptocurrencies can offer alternatives in the face of financial restrictions, but transactions are traceable.

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