US claims $1B Iranian crypto seizure, targets property
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday that the United States has seized around $1 billion in Iranian cryptocurrency holdings and is working with European allies to confiscate properties linked to Tehran, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.
“I believe that we have seized about a billion dollars of their crypto,” Bessent said, adding that the US has “just outright grab the wallets.”
He claimed that some account holders may still be unaware that their assets have been taken. “Some of them may be like typing in right now, and realize they might not realize that their wallet had been grabbed,” he said.
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Bessent also said the US is coordinating with international partners on broader asset seizures abroad.
“We are working with our allies all over Europe to grab villas and houses and properties,” he said, describing the effort as an attempt to recover funds he characterized as taken from ordinary Iranians.
“This is money that's stolen from the Iranian people,” he claimed.
The Treasury chief further stated that Iran’s oil export facility at Kharg Island has been effectively shut down, attributing the situation to a US naval blockade.
He added that recent Iranian attacks on Gulf states had backfired diplomatically, arguing that Gulf partners have since become “very good partners” in financial enforcement actions against Tehran, which has enabled the US to freeze Iranian bank accounts in the region.
By Nijat Babayev
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