US Regulators Tie Two Bitcoin Addresses to Iranian Ransomware Plot

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is officially adding crypto addresses to its individual sanctions list.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced Wednesday that it was adding two Iran residents – Ali Khorashadizadeh and Mohammad Ghorbaniyan – to its Specially Designated Nationals list, and for the first time in the list’s history, bitcoin addresses associated with the individuals will be included with other identifying information, such as physical addresses, post office boxes, email addresses and aliases.

OFAC first indicated it might add crypto addresses to its list in March, when it updated its FAQ on sanctions compliance. At the time, the office highlighted the fact that cryptocurrencies are comparable to fiat currencies as far as the SDN list is concerned. As such, the office is alerting U.S. citizens that they are prohibited from sending any funds to the two addresses.

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