US seizes nearly $1 billion worth of Iranian digital currency: details

The economic confrontation between the United States and Iran has taken a new turn after the U.S. Treasury Department announced it had seized approximately $1 billion worth of Iranian digital assets, a figure that far exceeds previous estimates of only about $500 million in confiscation.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said when attending the 2026 Reagan National Economic Forum that U.S. authorities believe Iran earns $400 to $500 million per month through activities related to evading international sanctions.

Besant explained that the U.S. government was able to control digital wallets associated with these activities, adding that some owners of these wallets may not yet be aware that their assets are under the control of U.S. authorities.

In April last year, Besant announced the seizure of approximately $500 million in Iranian digital assets, previously revealing that the value of the seized assets had risen to approximately $1 billion.

The minister stressed that Washington was not content with freezing bank accounts and was also working to reduce the desire of international institutions to engage with the Iranian regime as part of a broader strategy to tighten economic pressure.

In a related context, Bessant reiterated the U.S. government’s policy on digital asset reserves, explaining that the government has no intention of purchasing Bitcoin from the market to expand reserves, but will continue to rely on assets confiscated through legal proceedings.

He noted that the first step would be to stop the sale of confiscated Bitcoin and then add more confiscated digital assets to the U.S. Strategic Reserve.

According to data from the “Arkham Intelligence” platform, the U.S. government currently owns approximately 328,372 Bitcoins, making it the government entity known to possess the most digital currencies in the world. The assets are estimated to be worth more than $24 billion at current prices.

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