Manhattan US Attorney leading probe into Binance’s Iran compliance: Bloomberg

The Manhattan US Attorney’s Office is investigating whether Binance knowingly allowed trading that violated US sanctions on Iran, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, providing new details about a Justice Department investigation first reported in March.

The Justice Department’s Criminal Division in Washington is also involved in the investigation, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Asked for comment, a Binance spokesperson told Cointelegraph: “We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for sanctions violations. We fully cooperate with law enforcement, and we remain committed to rooting out and shutting down bad actors.”

The statement did not directly address whether Binance is aware of the reported investigation.

An investigation does not establish wrongdoing and may conclude without charges being filed.

In March, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DOJ was examining whether Iran used Binance to evade US sanctions, citing company documents and people familiar with the matter. At the time, the Journal said it was unclear whether the DOJ was investigating Binance itself, its users, or both.

Binance told Cointelegraph at the time it was not aware of any DOJ investigation.

Related: US Senator asks for Binance monitor update amid scrutiny of Iran sanctions