Iran's largest exchange Nobitex has been attacked by pro-Israel hackers, with over 100 million USD transferred to unrecoverable burn addresses. The central bank immediately imposed a nationwide night curfew on exchanges, exposing on-chain risks under geopolitical tensions. (Background: Israeli hackers attacked the Iranian exchange Nobitex, with 83 million USD stolen and 'premium address' exposing political intent) (Additional context: The Wall Street Journal: Trump may take military action against Iran within 24 hours, but has not yet signed the final order) Nobitex, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was hacked in the early hours of June 18 by the hacker group Predatory Sparrow, with over 100 million USD in assets directly transferred to a 'black hole address' without private keys, instantly disappearing. The latest news indicates that Iran's central bank issued a nationwide night curfew for exchanges the following day, limiting operating hours to 10 AM to 8 PM, trying to regain control over capital flows amid turmoil. The hack's 'burning' of coins targets political symbolism. This attack was not aimed at transferring funds for profit but rather destroying cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) directly. Predatory Sparrow sent assets to an uncontrollable burn address through infiltrating hot wallets, leaving a message mocking Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on-chain. According to wallet screenshots released by Predatory Sparrow, this action clearly targeted Iran's ability to circumvent sanctions through cryptocurrency, treating the blockchain as a geopolitical battlefield. The curfew indicates a sharp regulatory response. To prevent disasters during unattended nighttime operations, Iran's central bank imposed a 'curfew' on June 19, only allowing daytime operations. Chainalysis's security analysis director Andrew Fierman stated: 'If an incident occurs at midnight, risk management is almost unattended.' This measure is seen as a tightening of capital controls again after the brief closure of exchanges in 2024 and highlights Iran's foreign exchange concerns under the pressure on the rial. How important is Nobitex? Nobitex has accumulated inflows exceeding 11 billion USD, far surpassing other domestic platforms combined, and is involved with some sanctioned entities and networks related to the IRGC. Predatory Sparrow chose this target not only because of its large scale but also to cut off Iran's access to external funding through cryptocurrency. According to Chainalysis, Nobitex is the preferred platform for Iranian users seeking to enter the global cryptocurrency market and is a core pillar of the country's digital assets. Western media has previously indicated that some transactions on this exchange are related to terrorist groups like the Houthi militia. Nobitex is not just a local exchange; it is a critical center in Iran's heavily sanctioned cryptocurrency ecosystem, allowing users who cannot isolate from traditional finance to engage in economic activities in the global market. Related reports: Is Trump about to take action against Iran? US bombers stationed at a military base in Spain, triple strategic responses to the escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict. The Wall Street Journal: Iran lobbied Trump through Oman and Saudi Arabia to persuade Israel to cease fire. Experts exposed Trump's 'Made in America' phone T1 as suspected Chinese OEM goods: three times more expensive, essentially an IQ tax.

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