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DOJ Seeks Forfeiture of $61M in USDT on TRON in Iranian Oil Case
The US Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture action for more than $61 million in USDT allegedly tied to sanctioned Iranian oil sales. Tether froze about 61.19 million USDT across 10 TRON addresses.Short answer
The US DOJ is seeking the civil forfeiture of over $61 million in USDT that prosecutors say came from covert sales of sanctioned Iranian oil and was intended to fund the Iranian government and the IRGC. Tether had already frozen roughly 61.19 million USDT across 10 addresses on the TRON network. The seizure warrant allows Tether to burn the frozen tokens and reissue an equivalent amount to an FBI-controlled hardware wallet. The allegations remain unproven, and the assets will pass to the US only by court order.
The US Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture action targeting more than $61 million in USDT that prosecutors allege was generated by covert sales of sanctioned Iranian oil and earmarked to fund the Iranian government and the IRGC. Earlier in 2025, Tether froze roughly 61.19 million USDT held across 10 addresses on the TRON network.
The seizure warrant sets out a mechanism under which Tether destroys the frozen tokens and issues an equivalent amount to a hardware wallet controlled by the FBI. The parties named in the case are the Hong Kong-based Blessed Trust and Hexa Whale, which according to the DOJ used Binance accounts to move oil proceeds to buyers in China. The related network of addresses, the department claims, received and distributed more than $1.5 billion. Binance stated that the action is not brought against the exchange and contains no allegations against it.
In August, the US Treasury expanded sanctions against Iran's digital sector; among those named was broker Ivan Obukhov (UAE), through whom more than $100 million in crypto payments had passed since 2023.
The case highlights TRON's role as the primary network for USDT flows and the growing practice of freezes and seizures on it. The allegations remain unproven: the assets will pass to the US only by court order.
Source: Cointelegraph
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