{"id":73303,"date":"2026-05-30T14:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T14:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/treasury-seizes-1-billion-in-iran-linked-crypto-scott-bessent-confirms-at-reagan-forum-bitcoin-news\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T14:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T14:12:26","slug":"treasury-seizes-1-billion-in-iran-linked-crypto-scott-bessent-confirms-at-reagan-forum-bitcoin-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/treasury-seizes-1-billion-in-iran-linked-crypto-scott-bessent-confirms-at-reagan-forum-bitcoin-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Treasury Seizes $1 Billion in Iran-Linked Crypto, Scott Bessent Confirms at Reagan Forum \u2013 Bitcoin News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. has seized roughly $1 billion in Iranian crypto under Operation Economic Fury.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Tether froze $344 million in USDT on Tron addresses tied to the IRGC and Central Bank of Iran on April 24, 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Iran faces 200%-plus hyperinflation and unpaid troops as Bessent signals continued seizures and conditional sanctions relief talks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Operation Economic Fury: Scott Bessent Says U.S. Seized $1B in Iranian <span>Crypto<\/span>, Wallets Grabbed Without Warning<\/h2>\n<p>Bessent made the disclosure during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/media\/scott-bessent-says-us-seized-roughly-1b-iranian-crypto-regime-nears-end-tether\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">live interview<\/a> with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, framing the figure as a cumulative total built through Operation Economic Fury, a Treasury-led financial pressure campaign targeting Iran\u2019s revenue streams, weapons funding, and sanctions evasion networks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that we have seized about a billion dollars of their <span>crypto<\/span>,\u201d Bessent told Kudlow. \u201cJust outright grabbed the wallets. Some of them may be typing in right now and might not realize that their wallet has been grabbed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The billion-dollar threshold reflects months of escalating enforcement actions. By late April 2026, Treasury had already documented roughly $500 million in frozen assets, setting the stage for the updated total Bessent confirmed Friday.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most documented single actions came on April 24, 2026, when <span>stablecoin<\/span> issuer Tether <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/tether-freezes-344-million-in-usdt-with-ofac-and-us-law-enforcement\/\">froze<\/a> $344 million in <span>USDT<\/span> across two Tron <span>blockchain<\/span> addresses, specifically $213 million and $131 million linked to transaction patterns connected to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Central Bank of Iran. <span>Blockchain<\/span> analytics firm <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/prediction-market-leader-polymarket-deploys-chainalysis-security-tools\/\">Chainalysis<\/a> assisted in identifying the addresses, and the action aligned directly with updated OFAC designations published the same day.<\/p>\n<p>Before the intensified campaign, Iran had reportedly been routing $400 million to $500 million per month through <span>crypto<\/span>, primarily <span>USDT<\/span>, to fund oil sales and IRGC operations. The Treasury\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has since sanctioned more than 1,000 Iran-linked entities and wallet addresses.<\/p>\n<p>Operation Economic Fury, launched roughly in March 2025 under President Trump\u2019s direction, spans far beyond <span>crypto<\/span>. The initiative includes freezing bank accounts, designating procurement networks, coordinating naval activity near the Strait of Hormuz, and working with European allies to seize properties tied to Iranian elites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is money that\u2019s stolen from the Iranian people,\u201d Bessent noted Friday, referencing European villas and real estate being targeted alongside digital wallets. Assets are held pending potential future forfeitures, including claims by terrorism victims.<\/p>\n<p>The financial campaign runs parallel to military operations that began at the end of February 2026, when U.S. and Israeli forces struck Iranian nuclear and military sites. A fragile ceasefire entered discussions, though Bessent made clear that economic pressure has not paused.<\/p>\n<p>Bessent described Iran\u2019s current financial condition in stark terms, citing hyperinflation above 200%, unpaid military and police personnel, food vouchers, internet shutdowns, and a collapsing rial. He added:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThey are at the end of their tether now financially.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Iran has also explored <span>crypto<\/span> for new revenue streams. Plans to collect Strait of Hormuz tolls in <span>bitcoin<\/span> have <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/report-iran-charges-crypto-and-yuan-tolls-for-strait-of-hormuz-oil-tanker-passage\/\">circulated<\/a>, along with a reported platform called <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/bitcoin-insurance-for-persian-gulf-cargo-iran-launches-hormuz-safe-claims-10b-revenue\/\">Hormuz Safe<\/a>, a bitcoin-based maritime insurance product with ties to the Revolutionary Guard. Those initiatives now face increased scrutiny as U.S. <span>blockchain<\/span> enforcement tightens.<\/p>\n<p>Still, <span>bitcoin<\/span> is a far more powerful economic protest as <span>BTC<\/span> wallets cannot be frozen like the $344 million in tether ( <span>USDT<\/span>). For the broader <span>crypto<\/span> industry, the campaign signals that <span>stablecoin<\/span> issuers, exchanges, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-a-blockchain\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">blockchain<\/a> infrastructure providers face growing compliance demands in geopolitical enforcement contexts.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-a-blockchain\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blockchain<\/a>\u2019s traceability, long considered a liability for privacy advocates, has become an enforcement asset for the Treasury. But the reality is, only for managed and controlled <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crypto<\/a> assets that can be frozen via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-a-smart-contract\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">smart contracts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Bessent indicated further designations and potential forfeitures are expected. Whether seized assets ultimately reach Iranian citizens or terrorism victims will depend on legal proceedings still ahead. Sanctions relief, Bessent stressed, remains conditional. \u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d he told Kudlow.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/treasury-seizes-1-billion-in-iran-linked-crypto-scott-bessent-confirms-at-reagan-forum\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. has seized roughly $1 billion in Iranian crypto under Operation Economic Fury. Tether froze $344 million in USDT on Tron addresses tied to the IRGC and Central Bank of Iran on April 24, 2026. Iran faces 200%-plus hyperinflation and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":73304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}