Story perspectives

DOJ Seeks Seizure of $61M Crypto Tied to Iran

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 3:11 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize $61 million in crypto linked to Iranian oil laundering.
Prosecutors allege Hong Kong-registered Blessed Trust moved over $1.2 billion through Binance to a wallet cluster called “Entity A.”
Hexa Whale Trading Limited allegedly transferred roughly $500 million to the same “Entity A” network via Binance VIP accounts.
Senator Richard Blumenthal opened an inquiry into Binance’s compliance after reports of $1.7 billion flowing to Iran-linked proxies.

History

Historical Context

After OFAC’s 2013 secondary sanctions targeted Iranian oil revenues, the United States expanded pressure, sanctioning Hong-Kong shell firms in 2025 and seizing nearly $500 million in crypto assets in 2026. Building on that pattern, the Justice Department now seeks to confiscate $61 million in cryptocurrency linked to the same Iran-connected network, highlighting a new digital-asset enforcement front.

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Story summary

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize $61 million in crypto linked to Iranian oil laundering.
Prosecutors allege Hong Kong-registered Blessed Trust moved over $1.2 billion through Binance to a wallet cluster called “Entity A.”
Hexa Whale Trading Limited allegedly transferred roughly $500 million to the same “Entity A” network via Binance VIP accounts.
Senator Richard Blumenthal opened an inquiry into Binance’s compliance after reports of $1.7 billion flowing to Iran-linked proxies.

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