WASHINGTON: The United States has frozen US$344 million in cryptocurrency assets over ties to Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday (Apr 24), as Washington seeks to raise pressure on Tehran amid energy supply disruptions due to war in the Middle East.

The Treasury Department “will continue to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds”, Bessent vowed in a statement on X.

He added that his agency was imposing sanctions on “multiple wallets tied to Iran”, resulting in the freeze of funds.

The move comes as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are headed on Saturday to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the conflict, with global energy markets ensnarled by the…