$61 Million in Tied USDT Sought by DOJ in Sanctions Case

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to seize $61 million in Tether's USDT stablecoin, alleging it was tied to black-market sales of sanctioned Iranian oil.

The funds were allegedly used by Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale to finance Iran's government and military, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

A network of related addresses received and distributed over $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency, including transfers to IRGC-linked money-transfer businesses and an Iranian exchange.

Binance stated that it did not permit transactions with sanctioned individuals and would cooperate with law enforcement by investigating or freezing accounts as necessary.