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The US Department of the Treasury has introduced new sanctions related to North Korea and Iran following North Korea’s recent space rocket launch and escalating tensions with Iran.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the cryptocurrency mixer Sinbad.io, linked to the North Korean hacker group Lazarus, to its sanctions list. The department described Sinbad as “a key money-laundering tool of the Lazarus Group,” highlighting its role in processing “millions of dollars’ worth of virtual currency from Lazarus Group heists.”

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo commented, “Mixing services that enable criminal actors, such as the Lazarus Group, to launder stolen assets will face serious consequences.”

These sanctions come as Seoul and Washington intensify efforts to combat North Korea’s cybercrimes, which are suspected of funding its nuclear and missile programs. According to a UN Panel of Experts, Sinbad laundered “close to $100 million in Bitcoin from hacks attributed to the Lazarus Group.” An analysis from blockchain research company Elliptic supported this claim.

The Treasury Department also targeted over 20 individuals and entities associated with Iran, citing their role in supporting destabilizing regional activities and militant groups like Hamas. Treasury’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson stated, “The United States remains committed to exposing elements of the Iranian military and its complicit partners abroad to disrupt this critical source of funds.”