Treasury sanctions Iran-linked wallets; Tether freezes ~$131M in USDT

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned multiple cryptocurrency wallets tied to the Central Bank of Iran, and more than $130 million was frozen as a result, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an X post on Tuesday, July 14, reported by The Block. Treasury framed the move as part of its effort to disrupt Iran's "abuse of digital assets."

"We will continue to aggressively follow the money and deny the Iranian regime access to the proceeds of its illicit revenue schemes," Bessent wrote.

The mechanics of the freeze came from a separate source. Minutes before Bessent's post, onchain analyst Specter reported that Tether had blacklisted four Tron wallets holding a combined $131 million in USDT — addresses Specter linked to both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Central Bank of Iran. According to Specter, most of the funds had been withdrawn from payment provider DTC Pay and the exchange Bitso, and the reason for the blacklisting was not known at the time of the post. Tether did not respond to The Block's request for comment.

The two figures don't quite line up — Bessent said "over $130 million," Specter counted $131 million — and neither Treasury nor Tether has published a reconciled, wallet-by-wallet breakdown.

Key facts

• OFAC sanctioned multiple wallets tied to the Central Bank of Iran; over $130 million frozen — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, via X post, July 14, 2026 (reported by The Block).
• Tether blacklisted four Tron wallets holding a combined $131 million in USDT, tied to the IRGC and Iran's central bank — onchain analyst Specter, posted minutes before Bessent.
• Most of the funds were withdrawn from DTC Pay and Bitso; blacklisting reason unknown at the time — Specter.
• Prior action: in April, Tether supported freezing over $344 million in USDT across two Tron addresses flagged by U.S. authorities — Tether (via The Block).
• Tether's self-reported totals: 340+ law enforcement agencies across 65 countries, 2,300+ investigations, $4.4 billion+ frozen, including $2.1 billion+ tied to U.S. authorities — Tether.

The real-world read

The designation is the government's; the freeze is a private company's. OFAC names targets, but the assets stopped moving because Tether — a centralized issuer — flipped a switch on four addresses. That single point of control is the actual story here, and it cuts both ways: it lets sanctions bite on-chain in minutes, and it means one firm can immobilize $131 million on its own say-so.

Treat Tether's cumulative figures — $4.4 billion frozen, 2,300+ investigations — as self-reported marketing from an interested party; they burnish Tether's law-enforcement credentials and haven't been independently audited here. Note too that the IRGC and central-bank attribution originated with an onchain analyst ahead of any official designation text, and the public trigger for the blacklisting still hasn't been detailed. (The Block discloses that Foresight Ventures, whose anchor LP is exchange Bitget, is its majority investor.)

This is reporting, not financial advice.

Sources

• The Block (Brian Danga), July 15, 2026 — reported the freeze, Bessent's statement, Specter's on-chain findings, and Tether's April action and cumulative figures. Independent outlet; discloses Foresight Ventures as majority investor.
• Scott Bessent / U.S. Treasury (OFAC) — primary: the sanctions designation and the $130M+ figure, via X.
• Onchain analyst "Specter" — the $131M USDT freeze, the four Tron wallets, and the DTC Pay/Bitso withdrawal detail; attribution made ahead of official confirmation.
• Tether — self-reported freeze totals and law-enforcement cooperation figures; treat as interested-party claims.