US Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange Shelbit for Illicit Financial Activities
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Shelbit, an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange, for facilitating over $6 billion in illicit financial flows. The exchange, registered in Dubai, was found to be a conduit for money flows to wallets controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned Shelbit's founder, Siavash Kayvanpour, and affiliated entities in the UAE, Poland, and Georgia. TRM Labs, a blockchain analytics company, reported that Shelbit's operations involved rapid movement of funds, primarily in dollar-pegged stablecoins, to limit traceability. The exchange's activities were linked to a Farsi-language online gambling network and other sanctioned entities.