Michaela
Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Financing (NBCTF) has moved to seize 187 cryptocurrency wallets it alleges are tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying the accounts collectively handled roughly $1.5 billion in Tether (USDT) transactions.
Key points:
- Israel’s NBCTF ordered the seizure of 187 crypto wallets allegedly tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, linked to $1.5B in USDT transactions.
- Blockchain firm Elliptic found 39 wallets blacklisted by Tether, freezing $1.5M in assets, but said direct IRGC links remain unverified.
- In a parallel incident, pro-Israel hackers breached Iranian exchange Nobitex, stealing $81.7M and citing its alleged ties to the Iranian regime.
“I hereby order the seizure of the property and of any other virtual asset that is found or will be found in the wallets, as stated, in order to confiscate the same subject to the provisions of section 66 of the Law,” the government document signed by the Minister of Defense wrote. The filing includes a detailed list of all 187 wallet addresses that the NBCTF alleges are controlled by Israel’s Revolutionary Guard.
Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic reviewed the 187 wallets flagged by the NBCTF and found that 39 of them were blacklisted by Tether on September 13. The move effectively froze the $1.5 million in USDT held in those wallets, preventing any further transactions with the stablecoin.
However, Elliptic said it could not confirm whether the transactions recorded over the past 12 months were directly tied to the IRGC. The firm explained that some of the listed addresses may belong to crypto service providers and could form part of a wider wallet infrastructure used for multiple clients.
Reports suggest that Israel’s Revolutionary Guard has long turned to cryptocurrency as a means of financing its activities, well before Israel’s latest order to seize wallets allegedly tied to the group. Established after the 1979 revolution, the IRGC was created to protect Iran’s Islamic system against internal and external threats. Since then, it has grown into a dominant force with influence that extends beyond the military, shaping both the political and economic landscape of the country.
Hackers Target Nobitex Over Alleged Israel’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ties
Conversely, June saw Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex hit by a major breach, with pro-Israel hacking group “Gonjeshke Darande” siphoning off at least $81.7 million in digital assets. Shortly after Nobitex confirmed the incident, the group, whose name translates from Farsi as “Predatory Sparrow”, publicly claimed responsibility in a statement on X.
The hackers alleged the platform was complicit in financing militant activity and aiding Iran in skirting international sanctions. They went further, arguing that employment at Nobitex should be viewed as equivalent to military service, pointing to what they described as the exchange’s deep connections to the Iranian regime.
The developments emphasize the increasingly complex intersection of geopolitics and digital assets, where cryptocurrencies are not only tools for innovation and finance but also instruments caught in broader struggles between states, regulators, and adversaries on the global stage.
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Michaela has no crypto positions and does not hold any crypto assets. This article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The Shib Magazine and The Shib Daily are the official media and publications of the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency project. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
