In a recent study, the well-connected Iranian Presidential Center for Strategic Studies suggested that developing a regulated crypto mining industry could help the country circumvent sanctions without spending precious foreign currency reserves, as local buyers could obtain Bitcoin for rials instead of dollars.
Blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis' crypto crime briefs are designed to cast a spotlight on dubious organizations that could be of interest to law enforcement agencies, regulators, and cybersecurity experts.
Shut out of the global financial system by U.S. sanctions, Iran is reportedly on the verge of announcing the creation of a national cryptocurrency based on its rial.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury took the historic step of adding two Bitcoin addresses to its list of sanctioned parties against two Iran-based individuals—Ali Khorashadizadeh and Mohammad Ghorbaniyan. Their bitcoin addresses, associated with the SamSam ransomware scheme, were key as they targeted over 200 known victims in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. But what’s striking is how much money they managed to make. Through the magic of the blockchain, we can see every single transaction they’ve ever done in the two seized wallets. Some quick forensics don’t show any major withdrawals, like the kind you would see if the Feds emptied a bank account into an evidence bag.…
