\n<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Reagan National Economic Forum, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed that the U.S. has seized roughly $1 billion in Iran-linked cryptocurrency as part of a broader campaign to choke off Tehran\u2019s financial networks.<\/p>\n
The disclosures come amid one of the most intense military confrontations the Middle East has seen in decades.<\/p>\n
On February 27, 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched<\/a> Operation Epic Fury \u2014 a coordinated airstrike campaign targeting Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and Revolutionary Guard command centers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Iran retaliated with ballistic missile strikes across the region, hitting Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Iraq. A fragile ceasefire was brokered in early April and is still in the works, but the economic war never stopped.<\/p>\n Enter Operation Economic Fury. Ordered by President Trump and executed by the Treasury Department, the campaign is designed to systematically dismantle every financial lifeline Tehran has left.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since its launch, OFAC has sanctioned<\/a> over 1,000 Iran-linked entities, frozen bank accounts held by Revolutionary Guard-affiliated businesses, and \u2014 according to Bessent \u2014 reached directly into crypto wallets.\u00a0<\/p>\n The largest single action came in late April, when Tether confirmed it froze<\/a> $344 million in USDT across two Tron blockchain addresses linked to the IRGC, after blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis identified on-chain patterns consistent with known Iranian military wallets. One wallet held roughly $213 million; the other, $131 million.<\/p>\n The total seizure figure has since climbed past $500 million \u2014 and Bessent\u2019s most recent comments suggest the running total is approaching $1 billion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will track the funds that Tehran is urgently attempting to transfer abroad and target all financial avenues linked to the regime,\u201d Bessent said<\/a>.<\/p>\n