DOJ Seeks $61M USDT Forfeiture Tied to Iranian Oil Sales

The US Division of Justice (DOJ) is looking for forfeiture of greater than $61 million in Tether’s USDT stablecoin, alleging the funds got here from black-market gross sales of sanctioned Iranian oil and have been meant to finance Iran’s authorities and army, together with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

On Monday, the DOJ alleged that Blessed Belief and Hexa Whale, each included in Hong Kong, used Binance accounts to transfer proceeds from oil bought to consumers in China. A community of associated addresses allegedly acquired and distributed greater than $1.5 billion, together with transfers to IRGC-linked money-transfer companies, cryptocurrency addresses and an Iranian change.

A Binance spokesperson advised Cointelegraph that Binance didn’t allow transactions with sanctioned people and would proceed cooperating with legislation enforcement, together with by investigating, limiting or freezing accounts the place acceptable. The spokesperson stated the case was not filed towards the change and didn’t allege wrongdoing by Binance. 

The submitting comes as Washington expands monetary stress on Tehran and the US-Israeli warfare with Iran disrupts vitality infrastructure and oil shipments throughout the Center East. Oil costs rose on Tuesday following assaults on Saudi infrastructure and continued reductions in vessel site visitors by means of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tether freezes $61 million in USDT

According to the grievance, Tether froze about 61.19 million USDT throughout 10 addresses on the Tron community in 2025. It stated a seizure warrant authorizes the FBI to take custody of the belongings by having Tether destroy the frozen tokens and situation replacements of equal worth to be transferred to an FBI-controlled {hardware} pockets.

Cointelegraph contacted Tether for remark however had not acquired a response by publication.

The DOJ stated the allegations contained within the civil forfeiture grievance had not been confirmed. The US would receive everlasting possession of the belongings provided that a courtroom enters a forfeiture judgment within the authorities’s favor.

The enforcement motion additionally follows the US Treasury’s August growth of its Iran sanctions framework to cover the country’s digital asset sector. The measure permits US authorities to goal international people and firms working in or supporting the sector.

On the time, the Treasury alleged that UAE-based dealer Ivan Obukhov had processed greater than $100 million in crypto funds since 2023 to facilitate Iranian oil gross sales for the IRGC’s Quds Pressure.

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Iran battle pushes oil costs greater 

The warfare between the US and Israel and Iran, which started in February, continues to disrupt oil shipments by means of the Center East.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline remained offline after Friday assaults that Riyadh blamed on Iran-backed fighters in Iraq, whereas Iran-backed Houthi forces launched separate missile and drone assaults on Saudi Arabia on Monday.

On the time of writing, market knowledge showed Brent crude buying and selling at about $107.59 per barrel, up 1.81%, whereas US West Texas Intermediate traded at roughly $103.35, up 1.93%.

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