US Treasury Seizes $600,000 USDT from Iranian Drone Program Operator: Legal Analysis

The Attorney's Office of the District of Massachusetts has announced the confiscation of nearly $600,000 in USDT from Iranian national Mohammad Abedini. Simultaneously, federal authorities have initiated civil forfeiture proceedings against these seized digital assets.

Iranian National Targeted in Counter-Terrorism Financial Operation

According to an official statement released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday, Abedini has been identified as the founder and managing director of SDRA, an Iranian company allegedly providing critical navigation technology to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

SDRA specializes in manufacturing advanced navigation modules, most notably the Sepehr Navigation System. This technology has been extensively integrated into the IRGC's military arsenal, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

Federal prosecutors assert that Abedini's company has maintained close operational ties with the IRGC Aerospace Force—designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by US authorities—since at least 2014. Investigation findings reveal that between 2021 and 2022, approximately 99% of SDRA's Sepehr Navigation System sales, specifically designed for one-way attack drones, were made directly to the IRGC Aerospace Force.

In January 2024, forensic analysis of debris from a lethal drone strike at Tower 22, a US military installation in northern Jordan, identified the attack vector as an Iranian-manufactured Shahed UAV equipped with the Sepehr Navigation System produced by SDRA. This attack resulted in the deaths of three US service members and injured more than 40 others.

Italian authorities arrested Abedini in December 2024, with subsequent charges filed in federal court in Boston for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. However, the Italian government later released Abedini, who is now believed to have returned to Iran.

USDT Assets Subject to Civil Forfeiture Action

US federal authorities have seized $584,741 USDT from an unhosted digital wallet address attributed to Abedini. The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts has filed for civil forfeiture—a legal procedure that would enable the Department of Justice to assume control of these cryptocurrency assets without requiring a criminal conviction of Abedini.

The Department of Justice has outlined its legal justification for the seizure, stating:

US law authorizes the forfeiture of all assets of individuals or entities engaged in planning or perpetrating a federal crime of terrorism against the United States, citizens or residents of the United States, or their property and all assets, foreign or domestic, affording any person a source of influence over any such entity.

It should be clarified that all claims presented by the DOJ in both the civil forfeiture action and criminal complaints remain allegations at this stage. Under US law, Abedini is presumed innocent until proven guilty through appropriate legal proceedings.