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The US has expanded its authority to sanction foreign people and businesses operating in or supporting Iran’s digital-asset sector.
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The measures do not sanction Bitcoin, XRP, or the wider crypto market, but could increase compliance pressure and amplify broader geopolitical risks.
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Benjamin Cowen’s $30,000–$40,000 Bitcoin scenario and Anthony Di Pizio’s $0.18 XRP are back in the spotlight.
The US has opened a new front in its pressure campaign against Iran by placing the country’s crypto sector within the reach of expanded sanctions.
On Monday, Aug. 24, the Treasury Department announced that foreign people and companies operating in five Iranian industries could now be sanctioned regardless of where they are based.
Although the measures do not target Bitcoin or XRP directly, they arrive as two severe crypto-market forecasts return to the spotlight.
Analyst Benjamin Cowen has said Bitcoin could eventually bottom between $30,000 and $40,000, while Motley Fool analyst Anthony Di Pizio has outlined a scenario under which XRP falls to approximately $0.18.
US Expands Sanctions Reach Into Iran’s Crypto Sector
The US Treasury said the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had issued new determinations covering Iran’s digital-asset, technology, gold, a
The decision forms part of “Operation Economic Outcast,” a broader attempt to isolate Tehran, restrict its oil revenue, and punish international networks accused of helping the Iranian government move money.
The decision gives OFAC broader authority to sanction foreign individuals or companies that operate in those sectors of Iran’s economy or provide services that support them.
The Treasury also imposed sanctions on nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels across several jurisdictions.
One of the most significant crypto-related cases involved Ukrainian shipping broker Ivan Obukhov.
According to the Treasury, Obukhov has processed more than $100 million in crypto payments since 2023 to facilitate Iranian oil sales on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.
OFAC also sanctioned Obukhov’s UAE-based company, Foscom FZE, alleging that he helped arrange Iranian oil shipments.
Washington Intensifies Its Wider Iran Campaign
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented the action as the beginning of a sustained international campaign targeting Iran’s
The measures are designed to extend secondary-sanctions risk beyond Iran itself.
Foreign businesses accused of helping Tehran launder money or circumvent existing restrictions could lose access to the US financial system.
Source: finance.yahoo.com