Bessent says Iran crypto seizure hits $500 million
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on April 29 that the United States has seized almost $500 million in Iranian crypto assets under Operation Economic Fury, including a $344 million Tether freeze on two Tron addresses, while saying Irans currency has fallen 60 to 70% against the dollar and the country is in the middle of a currency crisis.Bessent said Operation Economic Fury has seized roughly $350 million in crypto assets plus an additional $100 million seized separately, bringing the total close to $500 million as part of a broader campaign targeting Iranian bank accounts, retirement funds, and overseas real estate.Tether froze over $344 million in USDT across two Tron addresses on April 23 after receiving direction from OFAC, with Chainalysis confirming on-chain patterns consistent with IRGC-linked wallets and Central Bank of Iran intermediary addresses.Bessent warned that the pressure campaign would leave the Iranian regime unable to pay its soldiers or fund proxy networks including Hezbollah and Hamas, and said secondary sanctions are now being deployed against buyers of Iranian oil. Bessent Iran remarks on Fox Business‘s Kudlow on April 29 confirmed the scope of Operation Economic Fury. CryptoTimes reported that Bessent said: “We were able to grab about 350 million crypto