According to Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King, the Iranian government has used funds from crypto mining to fund terrorist organizations.
United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King penned a letter to officials warning of potential national security threats posed by cryptocurrency miners in Iran.
In a May 1 letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the two lawmakers called on the Biden administration to provide information related to possible ties between the Iranian government and local crypto miners and how digital assets might be used to bypass U.S. sanctions. According to Senators Warren and King, Iran has used funds from crypto mining to fund terrorist organizations and the country’s April attack on Israel.
“Iran’s use of crypto to evade sanctions poses a direct threat to our national security,” said the letter. “The Iranian military has used crypto to fund known terrorist groups like Hezbollah, the organization believed to be partially responsible for the January 2024 drone strike in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members […] Unless we take action, Iran will continue to use crypto to fund attacks against Israel.”