Iran | Crypto

Law firm Gerstein Harrow LLP is attempting to claim frozen cryptocurrency funds for claimants of unrelated judgments stretching back decades. Law firm Gerstein Harrow LLP filed a new motion on Thursday in a miscellaneous enforcement lawsuit, asking the court to compel stablecoin company Tether to hand over more than $344 million in frozen USDt linked to Iranian entities. The motion claims that the plaintiffs are owed more than $532 million in compensatory damages and more than $1.8 billion in punitive damages from acts of “terrorism committed or sponsored by Iran,” stretching back more than 25 years.  The latest filing is part of a broader lawsuit against North Korea (DPRK) and Iran, attempting to claim and redistribute digital assets as compensation for victims of various and unrelated judgments tied to state-sponsored violence, drawing criticism from the crypto community. Read more

The latest conflict involving Iran has produced an unexpected proving ground for financial infrastructure, and an unlikely winner has emerged, argues Huang.

Arkham’s new map links OFAC‑sanctioned Tron wallets to Iran’s central bank, putting Tehran’s alleged onchain reserves and counterparties in full public view. Blockchain analytics platform Arkham has published what it says is a public, onchain map of crypto wallets attributed to Iran’s central bank, making a pair of US-sanctioned Tron addresses publicly searchable for investigators and the wider public. The move could increase scrutiny of how Iranian-linked entities use stablecoins and blockchain networks to move funds outside traditional banking rails, as US authorities intensify sanctions enforcement tied to terrorism financing and oil revenues. Arkham’s May 11 research post groups the wallets into a Central Bank of Iran entity page and explorer, which the firm says can be used as a starting point to trace connected addresses and flows. Read more

A prominent figure from the Washington foreign-policy establishment has said openly what markets have been pricing in fragments: the United States has likely suffered a strategic defeat in Iran, and the failure runs through the Strait of Hormuz. Accepting this premise would introduce a new macro risk for Bitcoin. The warning comes from an article […] The post Washington insider warns US defeat in Iran now “likely” – adding a new macro risk for Bitcoin appeared first on CryptoSlate.

10x Research CEO Markus Thielen said Bitcoin’s strength above $80,000 could be supported by two favorable decisions in the US Senate this week. Bitcoin briefly dipped before surging over $82,000 on Sunday as US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s counteroffer to a peace deal, which could prolong tension in the Middle East.  “I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE," Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Sunday after reading Iran’s proposal to end the war. Iran has previously requested that the US pay for war reparations and unfreeze blocked Iranian financial assets. Bitcoin (BTC) fell from $81,430 to $80,520 within 45 minutes of Trump’s post before whipsawing nearly 2.3% to $82,347 less than three hours later, according to CoinGecko data. Bitcoin’s rise also resulted in nearly $64 million worth of short positions being wiped out over the last four hours, according to CoinGlass data. Read more

Bitcoin price action failed to revisit the $83,000 mark after US-Iran war tensions took over to steer the crypto market mood. Bitcoin (BTC) cooled from new 13-week highs at Wednesday’s Wall Street open amid mixed signals over a US-Iran peace deal. Key points: Data from TradingView showed a new local peak for BTC/USD of $82,833 on Bitstamp. Read more

Bitcoin faced new volatility and a new struggle to reclaim $80,000 as Iran events added pressure to crypto and risk assets. Bitcoin (BTC) saw volatility at Monday’s Wall Street open as fresh US-Iran war events sparked instability. Key points: Read more

Nobitex, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, was founded by brothers linked to the powerful Kharrazi family, which has ties to the country’s supreme leaders. Nobitex, Iran’s biggest crypto exchange, was founded by two brothers from one of the Islamic Republic’s most influential families with ties to the supreme leaders, according to a Reuters investigation. The exchange, which now accounts for the majority share of Iran’s crypto activity, was launched by Ali and Mohammad Kharrazi. The duo operated under the alternative surname “Aghamir,” which they used across corporate records and professional life, masking links to the Kharrazi dynasty, according to the report. The Kharrazi family has long occupied positions close to the country’s leadership, with ties spanning generations of power, including links to Ali Khamenei and his successor Mojtaba Khamenei. Read more

How Iran uses $USDT and $BTC mining to dodge danctions in a cat and mouse game. The post US Treasury vs. Tehran: Iran in Bitcoin Cat and Mouse Game appeared first on Cryptonews.

The announced crypto freeze came just one day after Tether said it had frozen $344 million of its USDt stablecoin in response to a request from US law enforcement. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned several wallets tied to Iran, resulting in authorities freezing $344 million in cryptocurrency. In a Friday X post, Bessent said that the move by OFAC was part of the US’ efforts to “systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds.” The US and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran in late February. “We will follow the money that Tehran is desperately attempting to move outside of the country and target all financial lifelines tied to the regime,” said Bessent. Read more

Crypto markets weaken amid rising Japan inflation, Iran war oil disruptions, and expectations of a hawkish Bank of Japan.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq gave back their early morning gains alongside BTC as markets digested the Fed Chair nominee's Senate confirmation hearing and report of stalled Iran talks.

Bitcoin traded at $74,335 after Iran reimposed controls on the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, with the modest 1.6% pullback standing out against a 5.7% jump in Brent and a 1.2% drop in European equity futures.

The Iranian government chose Bitcoin as a payment method for oil tolls due to its confiscation-resistant properties, but only dollar stablecoins have been used so far. Iran’s government naming Bitcoin (BTC) as a payment method for oil ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz highlights its role as a neutral, strategic asset, according to Sam Lyman, head of research at digital asset advocacy organization Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI).  The government selected BTC as one of the payment methods for the tolls because of its censorship-resistant qualities, Lyman told Cointelegraph. He said:  Iran is accepting oil tolls in Chinese yuan, US dollar-pegged stablecoins and BTC. However, there is “no onchain evidence” of a BTC toll payment so far, Lyman said, adding that the “majority” of Iran’s crypto transactions are denominated in US dollar stablecoins. Read more

US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded their largest single-day capital inflow since January on April 17, as the reopening of a critical Middle Eastern shipping route sparked a broader market rotation into risk assets. According to SoSoValue data, the 12 products drew approximately $664 million in fresh capital on April 17. The surge was […] The post US Bitcoin ETFs pull in $664M in largest daily inflow since January, because Iran reopened Hormuz for a few hours appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin price briefly cracked $78,000 yesterday, a level untouched since early February, before pulling back and stabilizing. What's next The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Hormuz, Iran War, Oil Price, Metals, and Stocks vs Crypto appeared first on Cryptonews.

One of the biggest short liquidations 2026 wiped $593 million in bearish bets overnight. Saturday afternoon as Iran reportedly reversed the Hormuz reopening.

Bitcoin rallied hard after Iran said it was reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Bitcoin hit the highest level since February, oil prices dropped, Wall Street notched another record, and the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.24%. But here’s the catch: markets acted as if the reopening had solved the core standoff […] The post All eyes on Bitcoin this weekend as Iran is already disputing the US narrative on the Hormuz deal appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A letter from US Senator Richard Blumenthal said he was concerned about “mounting allegations of dangerously lax anti-money laundering prevention by Binance.” Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal questioned US authorities responsible for overseeing Binance about whether the company is complying with anti-money laundering laws and sanctions under its 2023 court-imposed monitoring program. According to a report published by Fortune on Friday, Blumenthal sent letters to the Justice Department and the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), asking for details on Binance’s compliance.  Binance and its former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao reached a deal in 2023, in which the exchange would pay $4.3 billion to settle civil regulatory enforcement actions, and CZ would plead guilty to one felony charge. Read more

Bitcoin surged above $77,000 as oil futures fell 10% after Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz open for the remainder of the ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran. Update (4.17.26 6:43 PM UTC): This article has been updated to reflect updated BTC prices and rally data. Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial vessel traffic for the remainder of the current ceasefire, prompting quick market reactions. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in a Friday X post. Read more