Binance faces new US inquiry over Iran-related billions

US authorities are once again looking into Binance as they attempt to establish whether the Dubai-headquartered crypto exchange knowingly processed transactions tied to Iran in breach of American sanctions.

According to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg, the Manhattan US attorney’s office and the Justice Department’s Washington division are leading the new probe.

In response, Binance told Bloomberg that it does not tolerate sanctions violations, adding: “We fully cooperate with law enforcement, and we remain committed to rooting out and shutting down bad actors.”

Earlier in the year, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Forbes said two Chinese firms moved crypto worth billions of dollars through Binance as part of a scheme to help Iran keep selling its oil despite sanctions.

US seizes $61M of Iranian crypto profits allegedly laundered through Binance

Read more: US Senator asks if Binance lied to Congress about Iran

Binance dismissed those reports as defamatory.

The DoJ reportedly launched an inquiry into Binance regarding these Iran-linked funds back in March, and around the same time the exchange filed its own defamation suit against the WSJ.

This month, US officials seized $61 million in frozen USDT they say is tied to Iran’s oil trade and plan to forfeit it.

The government alleges the broader operation has funnelled $1.5 billion in crypto into Iran’s military and nuclear programmes.