US lawmakers have warned that Iran’s crypto miners pose a threat to national security
United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King wrote a letter to officials about the potential national security risks posed by cryptocurrency mines in Iran.
In a May 1 letter to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the two lawmakers asked the Biden administration to provide information about possible ties between the Iranian government and local crypto miners and how digital assets might be owned. It is used to bypass US sanctions. According to Senators Warren and King, Iran used money from crypto mining to fund terrorist organizations and the country's attack on Israel in April.
“Iran's use of crypto to evade sanctions poses a direct threat to our national security,” the letter said. Iran's military has used crypto to support notorious terrorist groups like Hezbollah, the organization that killed three U.S. service members in a January 2024 drone strike in Jordan. […] Until we act, Iran will continue to use crypto to support attacks on Israel.
Senators Warren and King have asked US authorities to provide information on the earnings of crypto miners in Iran, how it is used for money laundering and a response to “address threats to US national security”. The two cited an Iranian research report saying the government prefers “newly minted” Bitcoin (BTC) to be “not seen as unregulated.” Reports suggest that Iranian BTC miners could earn up to $1 billion by 2021.
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Iran It has been subject to various sanctions by the United States and international authorities since 1979. Iranian authorities previously cracked down on crypto mining in the country, citing concerns about electricity use, but the government legalized the practice in 2019.
Senator Warren continues to be one of the most outspoken anti-crypto voices in the US government, linking the technology to illegal drug trafficking, terrorism and its harmful effects on the economy. She is up for re-election in November and will likely face Republican candidate and crypto lawyer John Deaton for her seat in the Massachusetts Senate.
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