# CENTCOM Says U.S. Blocked at Least $25 Billion in Iranian Crude

By Riza Dagoc

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/33805
Published: 2026-10-17T06:55:36.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-17T06:55:36.000Z
Section: Regulation

> Adm. Brad Cooper also cited nearly $350 million in crypto freezes, while tracking documented limited LPG and jet-fuel shipments in recent months.

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said U.S. measures had blocked at least $25 billion in Iranian crude exports and helped freeze nearly $350 million in cryptocurrency, as September crude shipments fell to zero.

Cooper did not provide a method for valuing the $25 billion estimate or define its start date. He said about 400 merchant ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the seven days through Oct. 16. U.S. forces helped Gulf partners ship more than 100 million barrels of crude over that period and more than 1.3 billion barrels in recent months.

Cooper also alleged Iran’s government was withholding salaries, pensions and benefits from workers in oil and energy, manufacturing, construction and security, as well as members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He cited reports that Iran-aligned militias were holding back fighters’ pay to send money to the corps.

September was the first month with no Iranian crude shipment in a tracking series that began in 2013. Other petroleum-product movements were also documented: at least eight tankers carrying Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) left the Gulf of Oman since mid-July, with cargoes estimated at 4.1 million barrels, and a tanker carrying Iranian jet fuel reached Myanmar in September. These passages do not by themselves establish that ships evaded the blockade; vessels are assessed individually, and some may be allowed through.

Separately, Tether supported freezing more than $344 million in its USD₮ token across two addresses on April 23. In September, Tether put Iran-linked USD₮ freezes for 2026 at about $550 million, including more than $130 million frozen across four addresses in July.