Washington, DC – The United States has alleged that Iranian regime leaders are smuggling millions of dollars out of the country at an accelerated pace, amid tightening US sanctions and mounting political and military pressure. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bissett stated that Iranian officials are moving vast sums of money out of Iran “frenziedly,” likening their behavior to “rats fleeing a sinking ship,” during a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee in early February 2026. Bissett explained that the US Treasury Department has detected massive financial transfers amounting to tens of millions of dollars, either channeled through the banking system or via smuggling operations. He affirmed that these activities are being uncovered through mechanisms monitoring the sanctions imposed on Tehran.
In the same vein, Israeli media reports and Iranian opposition sources indicated that approximately $1.5 billion was transferred to Dubai using cryptocurrencies. This includes $328 million allegedly linked to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. These allegations coincide with escalating tensions in the region following the deployment of a US naval fleet to the Middle East. Furthermore, the administration of US President Donald Trump has issued warnings of potential attacks.
Since 2023, Iran has resorted to using cryptocurrencies as a means of circumventing international sanctions, according to several media reports. These reports indicated that digital wallets linked to Iran received approximately $7.8 billion during 2025. This drew the attention of US authorities to smuggling networks suspected of being connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The US Treasury Department has previously imposed sanctions on prominent Iranian figures, including Babak Morteza Zanjani, who is accused of oil smuggling and using cryptocurrencies in illicit financial transactions.
