Iran's central bank imposes business restrictions on cryptocurrency exchanges amid pro-Israel cyberattacks.

## Iran’s Central Bank Takes Measures to Prevent New Attacks

The Central Bank of Iran has reportedly ordered all domestic cryptocurrency exchanges to limit their operating hours following a cyber attack on the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex. This was reported on the 18th by Chainalysis and others.

Specifically, it restricts transactions from 10 AM to 8 PM. It is believed that the aim is to strengthen monitoring and reduce the likelihood of the next hacking incident occurring outside of business hours, especially when the response to cybersecurity is delayed.

Moreover, Novitex has transferred a large amount of Bitcoin (BTC) to a newly established cold wallet. This is a move to strengthen security measures.

What is a cold wallet?

The term “wallet” refers to a type of storage for cryptocurrencies that is completely disconnected from the internet.

Nobitex suffered a large-scale hacking attack on the 18th, resulting in the loss of over $90 million (approximately 13.1 billion yen) worth of cryptocurrency tokens. The pro-Israel hacker group “Gonjeshkeh Darandeh” issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack due to political motives.

According to Chainalysis, the attackers created disposable addresses that did not allow access to the private keys and transferred the stolen funds there. This suggests that the recent hacking is likely motivated not by financial gain but by political reasons.

Furthermore, previous on-chain analyses have shown that Novitex is associated with wallets linked to ransomware operators related to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is a separate military organization from the Iranian military, as well as organizations connected to networks identified by the Israeli National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) associated with the Houthis and Hamas.

There are also indications that transactions with the sanctioned Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex may be intermediated.

President Trump will decide on whether to attack Iran within two weeks.

On the 13th, Israel launched a preemptive strike targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and military installations, marking the beginning of a military exchange.

On the 19th, Israel carried out an attack on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor. Iranian state television reported that “there was no danger of radiation.” The IAEA also stated that there is no radiation impact because the heavy water reactor is not operational. Meanwhile, there has been a concern expressed regarding attacks on nuclear-related facilities.

On the same day, it is reported that Iranian missiles struck a hospital in southern Israel and residential areas in Tel Aviv, injuring 240 people. According to U.S. human rights organizations, the death toll on the Iranian side has reached 639, while the Israeli government reports that 24 people have died on the Israeli side.

The White House said at a press conference that President Donald Trump will decide whether to launch an attack on Iran within the next two weeks.

Former President Trump is reported to believe that the possibility of negotiating the U.S. and Israel’s demands regarding Iran’s nuclear development program is still “quite high.”

It has also been reported that there are considerations for an attack on Iran’s underground uranium enrichment facility Fordow, which is out of range of Israeli weaponry.

On the other hand, diplomatic efforts are also continuing. Foreign ministers from various European countries are scheduled to meet with the Iranian foreign minister in Switzerland on the 20th. According to the White House, exchanges between U.S. negotiators and the Iranian side are also ongoing.