Stablecoin issuer Tether froze funds held in all 131 TRON wallets sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on July 1 as part of its updated ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) designation.
The action adds 134 cryptocurrency addresses as identifiers for the group, 131 on TRON (TRX) and 3 on Monero (XMR), according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.
ISIS-K Crypto Wallets Received Over $1.4 Million Since 2023
Chainalysis reported that the designated TRON wallets received more than $1.4 million since 2023 and sent over $880,000. Several of the addresses moved funds to Syria-based crypto exchangers, while the broader cluster showed heavy exposure to mainstream services.
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ISIS-K operates across Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of Central Asia. OFAC first named the group a Specially Designated Terrorist Group in September 2015. Its media arm, al-Azaim Media Foundation, has solicited crypto donations through websites and messaging platforms.
Historically, individual donations were small, reflecting supporters’ modest means, per Chainalysis.
“Chainalysis has collected historical donation addresses on Tron, Monero, and Bitcoin,” the report read.
The July 1 update follows a June OFAC action against Syrian money service businesses that cashed out funds for ISIS financiers. Earlier, in 2023, it designated Maldives-based operative Ali Shafiu, whose TRON wallet interacted with deposit addresses tied to Iranian exchanges, Chainalysis found.
Tether’s response fits a wider pattern of private firms blocking illicit funds alongside government action. BeInCrypto reported in May that the company’s T3 Financial Crime Unit, operated with TRON and TRM Labs, had frozen more than $450 million in illicit crypto since its September 2024 debut.
Exchanges have joined similar efforts. Coinbase froze over $3 million tied to Southeast Asian scam networks during the US Justice Department’s Disruption Week.
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