sanctions

According to Saudi media outlet Hadass, sources say that Iran has agreed to stop uranium enrichment in exchange for the United States easing sanctions.

The issuer of the stablecoin USDT, Tether, stated on September 28 that actions involving USDT in 2026 have frozen approximately $550 million, with the related wallets identified by U.S. authorities as being associated with the Central Bank of Iran and the Iranian sanctions network. Tether claimed that its cooperation with U.S. and international authorities has supported over 2,900 investigations globally, with more than 1,600 involving U.S. law enforcement agencies.According to Tether, in April 2026, it assisted in freezing over $344 million USDT across two addresses based on information provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and U.S. law enforcement agencies. The next day, OFAC listed these addresses as digital currency identifiers of the Central Bank of Iran, with the sanctions entry associated with the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. In July 2026, the Treasury expanded the designated scope to four additional TRON addresses, with over $130 million USDT frozen across the four wallets.Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that USDT is not a safe haven for sanctioned actors, terrorist organizations, or criminal networks, and that public blockchains allow authorities to see the flow of funds, enabling Tether to take action when law enforcement provides credible information. Tether also mentioned that it collaborates with over 340 law enforcement agencies in 67 countries, and its wallet freezing policy has been aligned with the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list.

A survey by the Democratic Party of the U.S. Senate claims that the stablecoin USDT issued by Tether has become a major payment method for Iran. The survey shows that among over 800 sanctioned cryptocurrency wallets, about 84% primarily or exclusively use USDT.The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations had previously stated that its review of blockchain records, sanctions lists, and asset seizure notices found that the sanctioned wallets are mainly distributed across the Tron and Ethereum networks and have conducted USDT transactions.

Bitcoin News posted on platform X stating that the U.S. Treasury has sanctioned Iran's BitBank, claiming that the exchange processed Bitcoin payments made by vessels under the Hormuz Security Insurance Program.The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control stated that as of June, these funds had been transferred to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Babak Zanjani's network had used the exchange to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Bitcoin payment channels are not exempt from regulation by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control.

According to Bloomberg, sources have revealed that U.S. federal prosecutors are investigating whether Binance Holdings Ltd. violated U.S. sanctions against Iran by failing to prevent certain transactions on its platform.The investigation into Binance's compliance is being handled by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office. One source also noted that the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington is involved in the case, and authorities are focusing on whether Binance knowingly allowed the relevant transactions to proceed.

Indian refiners are seeking crude oil purchases for delivery in November. Due to the sanctions bill signed by the United States last week, India may reduce its crude oil purchases from Russia.As the world's third-largest crude oil buyer, India has imported more than half of its total imports from Russia.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against the Tehran-based cryptocurrency exchange BitBank, stating that the platform transferred hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran. OFAC stated that BitBank is controlled by Iranian financier Babak Zanjani, who was designated in January of this year, and that he used the platform to complete transfers between June and July, with this designation made under Executive Order 13902.The sanctions also cover three executives from BitBank's software developer Pishtaz Simorgh and its parent company Dot One. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that using cryptocurrency to finance the Iranian regime is well within OFAC's jurisdiction. OFAC also mentioned that Hormuz Safe, an entity selling passage security in the Strait of Hormuz, has been receiving payments through BitBank since June; this entity was sanctioned in July. OFAC did not disclose the relevant wallet addresses.

The White House announced that Trump has signed the Russia sanctions bill, making it official law.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Iranian cryptocurrency exchange BitBank, accusing it of helping to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the IRGC.The action also targeted the developers of the exchange and three associates of the Iranian financier Babak Zanjani.

India warns that the U.S. sanctions bill against buyers of Russian oil could harm U.S.-India relations and disrupt the global energy market. The bill has passed in the U.S. Congress, granting Trump new powers to impose tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil products. India is the largest buyer of Russian seaborne crude oil and is seeking to diversify its supply.

The payment service provider license of CoolCash (Xiao Yi Payment), the parent company of Tianxu International Technology Co., Ltd., has been revoked by the National Bank of Cambodia and has entered liquidation proceedings. The company and its director, Pang Weizhi, were included in the UK government's sanctions list in March this year due to alleged ties with the Prince Group.The National Bank of Cambodia announced on the 10th that it revoked the payment service provider license of Tianxu International Technology on August 3. This license was issued on May 27, 2024, and was originally valid until 2030. The bank also appointed Morrison Kak MKA Audit Accounting Firm as the liquidator in accordance with Article 68 of the Law on Banking and Financial Institutions to handle liquidation matters and return relevant funds to the company's clients in accordance with the legal priority order.UK sanction documents indicate that Pang Weizhi holds Cambodian and Chinese nationality, with the Cambodian name Pang Visal, and serves as a director of Tianxu International Technology and the parent company of Elephant Delivery, U-Life KH Super App Company Limited. The UK side claims to have reasonable grounds to suspect his ties with the Prince Group and that he has provided financial services or funds, economic resources, goods, or technology to the group. The UK side alleges that the Prince Group is involved in operating scam centers in Cambodia, which include forced labor and serious human rights violations. Tianxu International Technology and Pang Weizhi have been listed as targets of sanctions in both corporate and personal capacities.

According to blockchain data analysis company Bitrace, another leading trading guarantee platform "Welfare Guarantee" began to withdraw all money laundering-related public group merchants last night. The withdrawal scope includes illegal entities commonly known as "Card Connection Back to U" and "Cash Car."Bitrace stated that the "Welfare Wallet" operated by Welfare Guarantee is currently experiencing rapid capital outflow. Since the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) officially announced sanctions against Xinbi Guarantee, the wallet has recorded an outflow of 9.3 million USDT. Bitrace previously mentioned that due to the sanctions against Xinbi Guarantee, abnormal capital outflows have occurred in its secretly deployed sub-guarantee platforms, and a large number of guarantee merchants are rapidly exiting the related market.

The cryptocurrency risk data analysis company Bitrace released the "2026 Annual Cryptocurrency Crime Report," which shows that in 2025, the illegal funds received by blockchain addresses marked as high risk across the network reached $50.21 billion. Organized crime networks in Southeast Asia were severely impacted, as the United States and the United Kingdom jointly sanctioned the Cambodian Prince Group, seizing or freezing billions of dollars in cryptocurrency assets, and Huibang Group was forced to temporarily halt its Huibang Payment operations.The report states that in 2025, high-risk addresses for online gambling received $14.53 billion, down from $21.78 billion in 2024; it is predicted that platform funds transferred or bet will reach $6.64 billion. High-risk addresses for money laundering received a total of $6.98 billion, with USDT-related money laundering amounting to $5.7 billion on Ethereum and $60.2 billion on Tron. High-risk addresses for black and gray market transactions received $186.9 billion, almost all occurring on the Tron network, with Huibang Payment receiving $52.4 billion in USDT that year.In 2025, the number of addresses frozen reached 4,059, exceeding the total of 3,199 from the past four years, with 3,406 on Tron. Tether froze over $1.1 billion in USDT, and Circle froze over $23 million in USDC. From 2021 to 2025, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Israel, and France collectively imposed sanctions on at least 1,683 blockchain addresses.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects that the United States will reimpose restrictions on Iranian exports and limit Iranian oil exports through sanctions, reducing its production.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard stated that any vessels passing through the restricted area of the Strait of Hormuz without coordination from Iran will face sanctions.

According to Crypto Briefing, the Bank of Italy has warned cryptocurrency service providers that every cryptocurrency transfer, regardless of the transaction amount, must undergo sanctions screening, and no minimum transaction threshold may be set to evade automatic screening. This requirement stems from guidelines applicable in Italy from December 30, 2025, issued by the European Banking Authority, and is not a new sanction obligation.The Bank of Italy specifically pointed out that certain instant payment exemptions for payment service providers do not apply to cryptocurrency transfers. Cryptocurrency companies need to review their screening systems, update their sanctions lists, and alert procedures to ensure coverage of all applicable transactions. The MiCA authorization does not replace these independent obligations under the EU restrictive measures rules. This move will increase compliance costs for Italian cryptocurrency companies, requiring more complex systems to handle transaction alerts and potential sanctions matches.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Becerra stated at a press conference in Washington yesterday that the Trump administration may target digital assets, the aviation industry, and the shipping industry as new sanctions in the process of further pressuring the Iranian economy.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Blinken stated that they are communicating with any parties supporting Iran, warning airlines, shipping companies, and digital asset stakeholders that they may become targets of a new round of sanctions.He mentioned that the U.S. will systematically "remove bad actors" concerning the Iran issue and advise all parties to steer clear of related transactions and cooperation regarding Iran and Russia, emphasizing that support should not be provided to the aforementioned regimes.

The Iranian rial fell to a historic low this week, with the open market exchange rate dropping to about 202,000 rials for 1 US dollar, compared to about 1.53 million rials in the first quarter. During the same period, the US government launched the "Economic Outcast Initiative," adding more than 60 entities to the Treasury Department's blacklist and for the first time designating digital assets as a sanctionable area.State-owned farms associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) control about 65% of Iran's Bitcoin mining capacity. Iranian miners have accounted for about 3% to 7% of global Bitcoin hash power since 2019, with the mined Bitcoin valued at approximately $1.35 billion to $3.15 billion at different stages. Iran legalized Bitcoin mining in 2019, allowing licensed operators to use industrial electricity at about $0.004 per kilowatt-hour and sell the mined tokens to the Central Bank of Iran.Chainalysis estimates that by the fourth quarter of 2025, IRGC-associated wallets will receive over $3 billion; Elliptic states that the Central Bank of Iran holds at least $507 million in USDT. In June, the US Treasury sanctioned Nobitex, Wallex, Bitpin, and Ramzinex. Nobitex had previously handled more than half of Iran's digital asset inflows; in April, the US Treasury seized nearly $500 million in crypto assets related to Iran.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced this week that it will include Iran's digital asset industry in the same sanctions framework it has long used to sanction the oil, banking, and financial sectors, further tightening Iran's ability to evade sanctions through cryptocurrency. This action is part of "Operation Economic Outcast," referred to as "Economic D-Day" against Iran, and represents a significant escalation of global risks for cryptocurrency enterprises.According to the new action, the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has the authority to impose sanctions on individuals anywhere. OFAC stated that Iran is increasingly using cryptocurrency as a preferred tool to evade sanctions, supporting transactions related to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and insiders of the Iranian regime. Foreign exchanges, over-the-counter desks, payment processors, and infrastructure providers that knowingly support transactions in Iran's digital asset industry will face the risk of being added to the sanctions list and losing access to the U.S. financial system.OFAC also sanctioned members of a group within Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) accused of representing Iran in attacks on critical U.S. infrastructure and published their wallet addresses. The group's co-leader Behzad Mesri and members Keyvan Fayyaz Ghareh Blagh and Arman Kahzadian's Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency addresses have been added to the sanctions list. Previously, Bloomberg reported that Iran had launched Bitcoin-backed insurance services for shipping companies, and the U.S. also froze cryptocurrency assets related to the Iranian regime in July, most of which were Tether stablecoins.