U.S. Treasury Sanctions Crypto Exchanges Accused of Aiding Iran's IRGC

The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on multiple cryptocurrency exchanges, accusing them of providing services to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and facilitating illicit financial activity. The move underscores Washington’s widening campaign to clamp down on the use of digital assets for sanctions evasion and to disrupt funding streams linked to state-aligned organizations.

No specific exchanges were named in the action, but the designation highlights the growing scrutiny of crypto platforms as potential conduits for circumventing U.S. financial restrictions. Authorities have increasingly targeted virtual currency services that they say enable malign actors to move funds outside the traditional banking system.

This latest round of sanctions is part of a sustained effort by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to apply existing anti‑money laundering and counter‑terrorist financing rules to the crypto sector, aligning with broader government concerns over the illicit use of decentralized finance.