US Sanctions Iran’s Biggest Crypto Exchange in Major Crackdown

Описание: The United States imposed new sanctions on four major Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges on Tuesday, including Nobitex, the country’s largest digital asset platform. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned four senior Nobitex executives, including Chairman and co-founder Amir Hossein Rad, CEO Seyed Ali Khoee, and two members of the Kharrazi family.

The sanctions block any assets these individuals and companies hold in the United States and prohibit American citizens and businesses from conducting transactions with them. According to U.S. officials, the exchanges played a major role in processing Iranian cryptocurrency inflows, with Nobitex alone handling more than half of the country’s digital asset transactions in 2025.

Washington alleges that these platforms facilitated financial activities linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sanctions evasion networks, ransomware operations, and efforts to stabilize the Iranian rial. Officials also claimed Nobitex helped move regime-linked assets out of Iran after U.S. military operations began, including during periods of internet shutdowns.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran has increasingly used digital assets to bypass sanctions and move wealth outside the country despite severe economic challenges. He stated that the sanctions are part of the Trump administration’s “Economic Fury” campaign, aimed at cutting off financial resources that could support Iran’s military activities and nuclear ambitions.

Cryptocurrency usage in Iran has grown rapidly in recent years as traditional banking restrictions intensified. According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, Iran’s crypto economy exceeded $7.7 billion in 2025. The report also noted that cryptocurrency has become an important financial tool for many ordinary Iranians seeking protection from high inflation and the sharp decline of the rial. Many citizens use Bitcoin and stablecoins to preserve savings, transfer money, and access financial services when conventional banking systems are limited or unavailable.

The sanctions represent Washington’s latest effort to increase economic pressure on Tehran and restrict funding channels connected to the Iranian regime.

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