North Korea, Russia, Iran Used Crypto to Evade US Sanctions, Receiving More Than $100 Billion

Crypto addresses linked to US-sanctioned countries and groups received more than $100 billion last year, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Citing blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, the Journal said July 4 that crypto addresses tied to sanctioned actors including North Korea, Russia and Iran took in more than $100 billion in 2025. That was about eight times more than a year earlier.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, was also identified as a major user of cryptocurrencies.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, used domestic and overseas crypto exchanges to receive payment for oil sales to China, according to the report. After being cut off from the international financial system following the war in Ukraine, Russia used the ruble-linked token A7A5 for overseas payments. The token processed more than $90 billion in trading volume last year. Russia also used cryptocurrencies to pay sailors transporting oil.

North Korea converted cryptocurrencies stolen through hacking and other cyberattacks into cash to buy fuel and military equipment, the report said.

The US has stepped up enforcement in recent years by seizing crypto wallets used by sanctioned states and terrorist groups and by imposing sanctions on exchanges. Even so, experts say it remains difficult for authorities to block all such activity because the crypto ecosystem is evolving rapidly and regulatory standards vary across countries.