The United States Department of the Treasury has sanctioned two UK-registered cryptocurrency exchanges linked to Iran’s financial system, marking Washington’s first direct move against digital asset platforms under its Iran sanctions programme.
The action was announced by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which said the measures form part of a broader crackdown on Iranian officials and financial networks.
US authorities said the targeted networks are accused of suppressing dissent at home while using alternative financial channels to bypass international sanctions.
Among those sanctioned was Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, Iran’s interior minister who oversees the country’s law enforcement forces.
“Treasury will continue to target Iranian networks and corrupt elites that enrich themselves at the expense of the Iranian people,”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
OFAC also designated Babak Morteza Zanjani, a businessman previously convicted of embezzling billions of dollars in oil revenue from Iran’s national oil company.