US authorities sanctioned four Tron wallets holding about 131 million dollars in Tether's USDT on July 14. The addresses are linked to Iran's Central Bank. Tether locked the wallets as part of ongoing sanctions.
On July 14 the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the four wallets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action targets revenue networks that Washington accuses Iran of using to evade sanctions.
The freeze follows an April action that immobilized more than 344 million dollars in two other Tron wallets. Together the measures have blocked about 475 million dollars tied to Iran.
Tether can block addresses and prevent tokens from moving while leaving balances visible on the public blockchain. Officials said the steps form part of Operation Economic Fury aimed at Iran's crypto infrastructure.
Hostilities between Washington and Tehran have intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, with new maritime restrictions also taking effect on July 14.