The United States claimed to have seized around $1 billion in cryptocurrencies linked to Iran, according to statements made on May 29, 2026 by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, during his participation in the Reagan National Economic Forum.
Bessent stated that the US authorities have managed to “directly grab the wallets”, in reference to confiscation and freezing of funds associated with Iranian financial networks used to evade international sanctions.
The new figure represents a strong escalation compared to the amounts reported weeks earlier within Operation “Economic Fury”, the financial pressure strategy promoted by Washington against Tehran. Until April, The official figures were around 500 million dollarsmainly in USDT issued on Tron.
The operation combines economic sanctions from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), tracking in cryptocurrency networks and cooperation with private companies in the sector. Part of the actions included the freezing of addresses indicated by US authorities and the collaboration of issuers such as Tether.
According to US officials, Iran has used cryptocurrencies to mobilize resources linked to sanctioned oil trade and financing regional operations. The investigations They especially target the use of stablecoins due to its ease of moving large volumes of capital outside the traditional banking system.
The increase from 344 million dollars, initially reported by CriptoNoticias, to the current 1,000 million reflects the expansion of analysis capabilities on-chain used by governments and specialized companies. Although cryptocurrencies are often associated with censorship resistance and financial autonomy, public networks allow tracking of fund movements with high levels of precision when centralized platforms or issuers capable of freezing assets intervene.
Bessent’s statements reignite the debate about privacy and control within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. While some sectors consider that these actions show a growing state capacity to monitor digital financial operations, Others maintain that the traceability of public networks is being consolidated as a key tool to combat evasion of sanctions and illicit activities.
For now, the Treasury Department has not published a full technical report detailing how the $1 billion figure was reached. However, the announcement makes it clear that cryptocurrencies already occupy a central place in global economic and geopolitical conflicts.
The case may also anticipate a scenario of greater regulatory pressure and cooperation between governments, stablecoin issuers and transaction analysis companies. At the same time, it could accelerate interest in tools focused on privacy, self-custody and transfer methods less dependent on intermediaries capable of freezing funds by state order.