Tether Helped Freeze $550M in Iran-Linked USDT
Stablecoin issuer Tether has officially confirmed that it has assisted U.S. law enforcement and sanctions authorities in freezing approximately $550 million in Iran linked USDT during 2026 alone
The move comes as the U.S tightens sanctions on Iran’s financial networks, putting stablecoins under closer watch.
$550M in Iran-Linked USDT Frozen
In today’s press release, Tether says it is working closely with law enforcement to fight illegal finance. The company says its actions in 2026 have helped freeze around $550 million in USDT linked to Iran’s Central Bank and sanctioned networks.
In April 2026, Tether helped U.S. authorities freeze more than $344 million in USDT across two wallets. The next day, OFAC added the same wallets to its list of digital currency addresses linked to Iran’s Central Bank.
In July 2026, Tether froze more than $130 million in USDT across four wallets. This came after the U.S. Treasury added four more TRON addresses linked to the Central Bank of Iran.
Together, the April and July actions accounted for more than $474 million in frozen USDT.
The remaining roughly $75 million was frozen through other smaller actions between January and September 2026, bringing the total to around $550 million.
Tether Has Frozen $4.9 Billion in Assets Worldwide
The Iran-linked action is part of a much larger record of cooperation. The company says it works with more than 340 law enforcement agencies across 67 countries.
Its cooperation has resulted in more than $4.9 billion in assets being frozen, including over $2.4 billion connected to U.S. authorities.
Tether has also worked with Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF). The company says it has frozen more than $22 million in USDT across over 40 cases.
This cooperation also expanded as authorities tracked crypto networks linked to Iran. In September 2025, the NBCTF published 187 crypto addresses it said were linked to the IRGC.
Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic later reported that Tether had blacklisted 39 of those addresses. This froze around $1.6 million in USDT still held in the wallets.
Tether: Blockchain Makes Funds Easier to Track
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company can act when authorities provide reliable information about suspected illicit activity.
“Public blockchains provide authorities with a level of visibility into the movement of funds that simply does not exist with cash.”
He added that Tether remains in direct contact with U.S. and international authorities as governments work to stop sanctions evasion and terrorist financing.
Tether’s latest actions show how stablecoins are becoming part of government efforts to track sanctions-related funds.
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