US Freezes $131M Iranian Crypto Amid Escalating Middle East Military Strikes

Woofun AI reports that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the freezing of more than $130 million in cryptocurrency linked to Iran on Tuesday, a move coinciding with intensified hostilities in the Middle East.

Blockchain investigator Specter identified on-chain evidence that Tether froze four Tron wallets containing $131 million in USDt (USDT). Bessent verified on X that these assets belonged to the Central Bank of Iran, stating the Treasury is committed to disrupting illicit financial activities and denying the regime access to revenue schemes.

The freeze occurs against a backdrop of collapsed ceasefire agreements and renewed US military operations. The US military’s Central Command announced new strikes on Iran, while Iran’s military claimed drone attacks on facilities at Jordan’s Al Azraq Air Base. The US also reinstated a blockade of Iranian ports.

Woofun AI data shows this incident follows a pattern of escalating sanctions, including a similar freeze in April where Tether immobilized over $344 million in USDT at the request of US authorities.

In May, Bessent noted that approximately $1 billion in Iranian crypto assets had been seized as part of Operation Economic Fury, which launched in March 2025. In June, he stated that the Treasury has dismantled the Iranian war machine and will not tolerate support for the Iranian military.