CoinDesk Podcast Network U.S. Senator Probes Into Binance Over Alleged $1.7B Iran Ties | CoinDesk Daily
Feb 25, 2026
A U.S. senator launches a probe into alleged $1.7 billion transfers tied to Iran and Binance’s response. A developer community bans crypto talk after scammers hijack accounts and create a fake token. On-chain signals hint that Bitcoin miners might be returning online after a period of capitulation.
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Senator Probes Binance Over $1.7B Iran Transfers
- U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal opened a formal probe into Binance over reports $1.7 billion moved to Iran-linked entities including Houthi militants.
- The inquiry follows claims staff were fired for flagging transfers while Binance denies the claims and says it has strict KYC and zero Iranian users.
Compliance Staff Firings Raise Governance Questions
- Reports say internal Binance compliance staff were fired for flagging suspicious transfers, raising governance and compliance concerns.
- Binance counters the story, noting founder Chengpeng Zhao recently served (and was pardoned for) prison time related to AML violations.
OpenClaw Bans Crypto After $16M Token Scam
- OpenClaw's Discord banned all crypto talk after scammers hijacked the developer's old handles and launched a fake Solana token that pumped to $16 million then crashed 90%.
- The harassment and fallout led developer Peter Steinberger to enforce a permanent no-crypto rule despite the project's recovery under a new foundation.