Grab EXTRA 10% OFF all Tangem products. Till Oct 25DOJ seeks $61M crypto linked to Iranian oil via Binance
6.6 Regulation The DOJ seeks to seize $61M in crypto tied to Iranian oil sales, laundered via Binance by two Chinese firms, as part of a $1.5B network benefiting Iran's government and military.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize approximately $61 million in cryptocurrency allegedly linked to black-market sales of sanctioned Iranian oil. Prosecutors claim these funds were laundered through Binance accounts operated by two China-based companies, Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale, and were intended to benefit the Iranian government and its military, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to the DOJ, the firms falsely presented themselves as legitimate trading or asset management businesses, while actually facilitating the movement and conversion of illicit oil proceeds into cryptocurrency. The complaint targets USDT held on several TRON addresses, noting that the $61 million is part of a broader network that laundered over $1.5 billion in Iranian oil proceeds. Binance is not named as a defendant; the DOJ is focusing on the two Chinese entities and their assets. This action is part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Iran’s ability to finance its operations through illicit oil sales and crypto laundering schemes.
