Iran
OFAC Updates Central Bank of Iran Designation Following Record $344 Million Tether Seizure amid Strait of Hormuz Toll Controversy
On April 24, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated its designation of…
Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Crypto Toll: An Evolution of Tehran’s Expanding Use of Digital Assets
TL;DR Bloomberg reported on April 1, 2026 that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was already extracting transit tolls from…
From the Battlefield to the Blockchain: How Cryptocurrency Is Helping Finance the Drone Revolution
TL;DR Low-cost, commercially available drones have become central to modern conflict, allowing state and non-state actors, such as pro-Russia militias…
OFAC Designates Iranian-Linked Crypto Exchanges in First-Ever Action Targeting Digital Asset Firms in Iran’s Financial Sector
TL;DR OFAC designated two UK-registered crypto exchanges, Zedcex and Zedxion, for operating in Iran’s financial sector and processing cryptocurrency transactions…
Inside Iran’s Growing $7.8 Billion Crypto Ecosystem: IRGC Dominance and a Flight to Bitcoin Reflect Geopolitical Tensions and Domestic Unrest
TL;DR Iran’s crypto ecosystem reached over $7.78 billion in 2025, having grown at a faster pace for most of the…
MENA’s Divergent Crypto Paths: From Crisis to Innovation in 2025
This post is an excerpt from our 2025 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report. Download the full report now! Note on our…
OFAC Targets $600 Million Iranian Shadow Banking Network Using Cryptocurrency to Evade Sanctions
TL;DR OFAC designated Iranian financial facilitators and their network of front companies for coordinating cryptocurrency transactions that benefit the Islamic…
Nobitex, Sanctions, and The $90 Million Exploit: A Window into Iran’s Largest Crypto Exchange
On June 18, 2025, Iranian cryptocurrency platform, Nobitex, was exploited, resulting in the loss of more than $90 million in…
The Truth Behind Crypto, Sanctions and Illicit Finance: Podcast Ep. 160
Conflict diamonds, sanctions evasion and the evolution of organized crime in digital assets. In this episode we cover all that…
OFAC Sanctions Iran-Backed Houthi Network for Facilitating Weapons Procurement from Russia via Cryptocurrency
On April 2, 2025, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned a network…
Crypto’s Role in Global Sanctions and Trade: Podcast Ep. 154
Welcome to season 3 of the Public Key podcast! New Season, New Hosts, New Look. Have you heard terms like…
OFAC Designates Iran-based Darknet Marketplace Administrator with 49 Cryptocurrency Addresses for Facilitating Fentanyl Sales
Today, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Iran-based Behrouz Parsarad, the administrator…
The Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime Report Preview (Part 1): Podcast Ep. 151
Welcome to season 3 of the Public Key podcast! New Season, New Hosts, New Look. The Crypto Crime Report is…
Iranians Flock to Crypto Amidst Geopolitical Tension; International Sanctions Actions Disrupt Russia’s War Machine
In 2024, sanctions shifted in both scope and strategy, reflecting a broader evolution in illicit on-chain activity in response to…
35% Year-over-Year Decrease in Ransomware Payments, Less than Half of Recorded Incidents Resulted in Victim Payments
The ransomware landscape experienced significant changes in 2024, with cryptocurrency continuing to play a central role in extortion. However, the…