Overview
- U.S. media report that Justice Department officials are interviewing individuals about more than $1 billion in transactions allegedly routed through Binance to Iran-linked networks, with the focus of the probe not yet clear.
- Accounts in the reporting describe funds moving through intermediaries, including Hong Kong-based Blessed Trust and, in some coverage, Hexa Whale, rather than direct on-exchange transfers to sanctioned entities.
- Binance denies the allegations, says it cooperated with law enforcement and offboarded accounts, and reports its review traced roughly $24 million to wallets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- The company filed a defamation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal over a February article alleging it fired compliance staff and halted an internal probe; the WSJ says it stands by its reporting.
- Senator Richard Blumenthal has opened a congressional inquiry seeking records on the alleged flows, and despite renewed scrutiny there have been no new public charges or enforcement actions announced.