Use BTC to circumvent US sanctions
Sepehr Mohammadi, president of the Iranian Blockchain Association, told the news media Ibena last week:
Last year, the US federal government confiscated some Iranian bitcoins, the confiscation is still in progress, and the reasons are unknown.
He said that the exact amount of confiscation is unclear, but it is expected to exceed 500 bitcoins, worth about 25 billion Toman (about 5.77 million US dollars). Sepehr Mohammadi added:
Some people believe that this confiscation is because bitcoin holders are evading US sanctions.
Recently, news.bitcoin has reported that the Iranian government is considering using cryptocurrencies to evade long-term economic sanctions in the United States. Mohammad Reza pur – ebrahimi, chairman of the Iranian parliamentary economic committee, said in an interview with news agency Mizan on July 15 that digital currency is Iran One of the main mechanisms used to evade sanctions. He pointed out that the Iranian parliament will soon discuss this issue.
Facing legal challenges
Sepehr Mohammadi further explained the challenges faced by Iranian citizens in retrieving Bitcoin:
The confiscated bitcoin holders are unable to take legal action against the United States in Iran because the country prohibits the use of cryptocurrencies. The Iranian blockchain association wants to take international legal action, but they have not yet found legal experts in anti-money laundering laws. Handle this problem.
In April of this year, the Iranian Central Bank (CBI) banned banks and financial institutions in the country from handling cryptocurrency operations. CBI said that all cryptocurrencies could become a means of money laundering and terrorist financing, and can often be used by criminals to transfer illegality. Income.
Despite this, the chairman of the Economic Council of the Iranian Parliament told Ibena in May that although there are not many people using cryptocurrencies in Iran, the data shows that more than $2.5 billion has been spent on digital currency purchases.