OFAC | Crypto

Iran entered the final night of February 2026 under a near-total internet shutdown. In the wake of a joint strike by the United States and Israel, Tehran almost completely severed the country's connection to the global internet — likely leaving only users on a government whitelist with access to the outside world. Iran’s internet formally remained part of global routing, but user activity fell almost to zero. That points to a managed restriction on citizens’ access to the external network. Source: IODA. But in that digital darkness, one vital financial service continued to operate without interruption: Nobitex, a cryptocurrency exchange linked to Iran’s ruling elite. Read more

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that wallets the US targeted as part of Operation Economic Fury were linked to Tehran, but analysis of the wallets' characteristics suggests otherwise. Multiple wallet addresses recently sanctioned by the US Treasury ‌Department for their ties to Iran may not be linked to the Islamic Republic, but to other state actors instead, analysis published Sunday suggests. That analysis, by blockchain intelligence firm Nominis, said that while the recent seizing of wallets holding more than $340 million by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) was a significant crypto enforcement event, some of those wallets’ characteristics lack a similarity to previously seized wallets linked Tehran. “While the use of cryptocurrency by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is well established, this case presents structural and behavioral characteristics that diverge meaningfully from previously observed patterns,” said Nominis CEO Snir Levi. Read more

The Office of Foreign Assets Control said it was taking additional action against the crypto exchange after including it on its list of Specially Designated Nationals in 2022. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has redesignated cryptocurrency exchange Garantex Europe to its list of sanctioned entities. In a Thursday notice, OFAC said it had redesignated Garantex as well as sanctioned its “successor,” Grinex, three Garantex executives and six Russia- and Kyrgyz Republic-based companies for allegedly facilitating illicit transactions. According to the government agency, the Garantex exchange processed more than $100 million tied to illicit activities since 2019. “Digital assets play a crucial role in global innovation and economic development, and the United States will not tolerate abuse of this industry to support cybercrime and sanctions evasion,” said John Hurley, under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. Read more

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned multiple companies and individuals accused of using stablecoins to help Russia skirt international sanctions tied to its war in Ukraine on Aug. 14. The designations target both Russian-linked businesses and foreign intermediaries alleged to have facilitated large-scale cross-border transactions for sanctioned entities. The move highlights OFAC’s […] The post OFAC targets Kyrgyzstan-based firms, stablecoins over Russian sanctions violations appeared first on CryptoSlate.