Overview
- On Friday, August 7, 2026, the Treasury and State Departments designated Shelbit, Aban Tether, operator Siavash Kayvanpour and dozens of currency‑exchange and shell entities and offered up to $15 million through Rewards for Justice to disrupt IRGC financial networks.
- U.S. releases say the sanctions target systems that moved hundreds of millions of dollars in oil revenue and processed millions in cryptocurrency transfers that benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- The designations build on three OFAC rounds since May that hit exchange houses, front companies and petroleum vessels as part of the administration’s 'Economic Fury' campaign to sever Tehran’s financing channels.
- The measures bar U.S. persons from dealing with listed parties, require crypto firms to add sanctioned wallet addresses to screening lists, and create secondary‑sanctions risk for foreign exchanges and stablecoin issuers that process flagged funds.
- Market response included lower pricing for a near‑term U.S.‑Iran deal and a shift toward safe assets such as gold, reflecting concern that the enforcement push will complicate negotiations and trade flows.