Tether Freezes $550 Million in Iran-Linked USDT as Senate Probe Turns Up the Heat

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high degree of risk. Always conduct your own research.Tether says it helped freeze nearly $550 million in Iran-linked USDT in 2026, one day after Senate investigators called USDT central to Iran's shadow banking.Tether has put a number on its cooperation with US sanctions enforcement, and the timing is no accident. The stablecoin issuer said on Monday that it has helped freeze nearly $550 million in USDT tied to Iran's central bank and Iranian sanctions networks so far in 2026. The announcement came one day after a Senate report accused USDT of being the backbone of Iran's shadow banking system.How Much Iran-Linked USDT Did Tether Freeze?Tether detailed two big actions. In April, it helped US authorities freeze more than $344 million in $USDT sitting in two addresses. The following day, OFAC added those same addresses to its sanctions entry for the Central Bank of Iran, which is itself linked to the IRGC-Qods Force and Hezbollah. In July, the Treasury expanded that designation to four more TRON addresses, and Tether froze more than...