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CENTCOM Disables Sixth Ship, Treasury Freezes $344M in Crypto
CENTCOM disabled the Lian Star, the sixth ship stopped since April 13. Treasury froze $344M in digital assets tied to Iran. Exchanges face compliance pressure.
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US Central Command disabled a Gambian-flagged bulk carrier named the Lian Star on May 30 after the vessel attempted to enter an Iranian port in defiance of a naval blockade. CENTCOM said the ship failed to comply with orders to stop, making it at least the sixth vessel forcibly prevented from breaching the maritime cordon since it went into effect on April 13.
The blockade has now redirected over 100 vessels, and the Treasury Department's parallel sanctions campaign has frozen nearly $344 million in digital assets linked to the Iranian regime. This is not a standalone sanctions story. The blockade and the financial freeze form a two-front campaign that directly affects crypto market participants. Exchanges with exposure to Iranian trade networks now face heightened compliance pressure, and the frozen assets represent real capital that cannot move.
The Lian Star Interdiction: Sixth Ship Stopped in the Naval Campaign
US aircraft disabled the Lian Star without boarding it, leaving the ship adrift. The method mirrors previous enforcement actions in which US forces have used fire to disable rudders and smokestacks on non-compliant vessels.
Disabled Ships and Dates
- May 6: Tanker M/T Hasna disabled.
- May 8: M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda both stopped.
- May 30: Bulk carrier Lian Star disabled.
Each interdiction removes a physical channel for moving goods to and from Iran. The cumulative effect is a tightening of supply lines that also constrains the movement of capital, including crypto used in trade finance or sanctions evasion. The blockade targets Iranian maritime traffic across the Arabian Sea and has disrupted daily trade volumes reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Treasury's $344M Digital Asset Freeze: What It Means for Crypto Markets
Treasury's freeze of $344 million in digital assets linked to the Iranian regime is one of the largest single crypto sanctions actions on record. The funds are now inaccessible to their holders. That creates immediate liquidity gaps for any entities that relied on those wallets.
Who Is Exposed
- Exchanges operating in jurisdictions with Iranian trade connections.
- Over-the-counter desks that may have processed transactions linked to sanctioned wallets.
- Stablecoin issuers that could see redemptions frozen if counterparties are designated.
The risk is not limited to direct holders. Any exchange that processed transactions touching those wallets faces potential sanctions exposure. Treasury has not named specific entities yet. The pace of enforcement is accelerating.