Tether freezes about $131 million in crypto linked to Iran's central bank

After the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added four wallets tied to Iran's central bank to its sanctions list on 14 July 2026, Tether froze about $131 million of USDT stablecoin held in those wallets. According to published reports, the move brought the total blocked USDT linked to Iran's central bank to roughly $475 million.

Because Tether controls the USDT contracts, it can block an address and halt transfers of its tokens, even though the balance remains visible on the public blockchain. The sanctions followed the collapse of the ceasefire and the resumption of strikes.