Iran war: US claims seizing nearly $500m in Iranian crypto assets
- By Agencies -
- Apr 30, 2026
TEHRAN/WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Washington has seized “close to half a billion” in Iranian cryptocurrency assets and that its “Operation Economic Fury” has sent the government in Tehran into “crisis”.
“We were able to grab about 350 million crypto assets, and then on top of another 100 that we had recently gotten, so we’re almost at half a billion there, and we are freezing bank accounts everywhere,” Bessent told Fox News.
He said Trump had ordered the economic pressure campaign in March of last year and told him to “up the pressure again” about three weeks ago.
Hegseth appears before Congress
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to defend the Iran war in fiery remarks to Congress on Wednesday, saying it was not a quagmire and attacking Democratic lawmakers as “feckless” for criticizing the unpopular conflict.
Hegseth was testifying before Congress for the first time since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28 that has led to a surge in gasoline prices.