2026-04-24 20:09
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2026-04-24 20:09
US authorities have frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency that they believe is linked to Iran, CNN reported on Friday. Finance Minister Scott Bessent said the ministry was “imposing sanctions on multiple wallets linked to Iran.”
It is not known whether the freezing of funds will affect Iran's attitude towards the war and negotiations with the US, the television noted.
“We will follow the money that Tehran is desperately trying to get out of the country and we will hit all financial lifelines related to the regime,” said Bessent, who is trying to increase economic pressure on Iran amid the war that has been ongoing since late February.
On Thursday, Tether, the company that issues the cryptocurrency of the same name (USDT), announced that it had “supported the U.S. government in freezing” $344 million at two addresses. A US official told CNN the government had information linking the funds to Iran.
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The website emphasized that the authorities of countries subject to strict sanctions, such as Iran, Russia and North Korea, are increasingly turning to cryptocurrencies, which are less regulated than the traditional banking system, to generate revenues and bypass restrictions.
Daniel Tannebaum, an expert at the Atlantic Council, said that the amount of frozen assets is “significant”, but given the scale of sanctions imposed on Iran, he does not think it will contribute to a change in Iranian behavior.
From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)
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