American Authorities Blacklist Iranian Crypto Platform for Alleged Militant Financing

Federal officials penalized Nobitex, Iran's dominant virtual currency marketplace, claiming it enabled terror funding, restriction dodging, and Revolutionary Guard monetary transfers.

American Authorities Blacklist Iranian Crypto Platform for Alleged Militant Financing

Washington imposed financial penalties on Nobitex, Tehran's foremost virtual currency marketplace, together with three additional Iranian trading platforms and numerous executives. Officials assert the network served as a crucial conduit for the regime to bypass global embargoes and bankroll extremist operations.

Per the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Nobitex handled the majority of cryptocurrency flowing into Iran throughout 2025. The platform purportedly managed transfers associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including accounts tied to extortion software groups connected to the armed force.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent charged that Iranian authorities harnessed blockchain systems to sidestep economic isolation and move wealth beyond national borders. He positioned the crackdown as integral to the administration's wider campaign to strip Tehran of means for atomic weapons development.

Probes revealed Nobitex aided Iran's central monetary authority in securing hundreds of millions in dollar-pegged digital tokens. These assets ostensibly bolstered the collapsing national currency while permitting well-connected insiders to reach foreign exchanges in defiance of bans.

After American armed strikes against Iran commenced, the trading venue reportedly aided in concealing and transferring governing elite holdings outside the country despite nationwide connectivity shutdowns. A pair of Nobitex's founding partners were characterized as having close ties to the relatives of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Amir Hossein Rad, who chairs the firm and previously led it as CEO, was among those individually singled out. The restrictions were enacted utilizing counterterrorism statutes and a presidential directive focused on Iran's banking sphere.

Separately, diplomatic officials offered $15 million for intelligence that would dismantle the Revolutionary Guard's monetary infrastructure. Regulatory authorities cautioned that overseas enterprises and banking entities enabling Iranian trade could face punitive measures themselves.

Source: Google News MT