The Justice Department is investigating Iran’s use of Binance for alleged sanctions evasion, after the exchange has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
The US Department of Justice is reportedly investigating Iran’s use of Binance for alleged sanctions evasion.
The DOJ is investigating whether Iran used Binance to evade US sanctions and whether transactions on the exchange helped channel funds to networks linked to Iran-backed groups, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing company documents and people familiar with the matter.
The WSJ said it’s unclear whether the DOJ is investigating Binance itself, its users, or both. Officials contacted people with knowledge of the transaction to request interviews and gather evidence, the report said.
The investigation comes after an earlier report that Binance had closed an internal investigation into nearly $1 billion flowing through the platform into a network linked to Iranian proxy groups.
The DOJ had not confirmed the investigation at the time of publication. Binance did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.
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US Senate Democrats launched an investigation in February, and Binance has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
In 2023, Binance paid a $4.3 billion fine for violating US anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and agreed to operate under US supervision.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao pleaded guilty to related charges and served four months in prison in 2024. In October 2025, CZ received a pardon from US President Donald Trump.
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