Nobitex hackers threaten to ‘destroy’ pro-Iran institutions
Pro-Israel hackers behind the theft of $90 million from Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, have threatened to target more Iranian institutions and warned citizens to withdraw their funds.
Known as Gonjeshke Darande, or “Predatory Sparrow,” the hackers announced on X last Friday that they’re looking to target any institutions supporting Iran’s military forces.
“Some of them will be destroyed with intense force; others will just disappear right before your very eyes,” it said. Predatory Sparrow then warned Iranians to withdraw their funds before it’s “too late,” and said it would not explain itself any further.
Read more: Bitcoin can’t keep up with NASDAQ amid ongoing Iran-Israel conflict
Predatory Sparrow claims to have hacked the Nobitex crypto exchange on June 18 and subsequently published the exchange’s source code. It also claims to have destroyed data from Iran’s Bank Sepah.
Pseudonymous crypto journalist and privacy advocate Lola Leetz described Predatory Sparrow as deeply connected to Israel, noting that an attack against Iran’s financial institutions constitutes a war crime.
She said, “What we are witnessing is the greatest escalation in the fight against ‘terrorist financing’ in history, increasingly normalized by governments and media.”
US joins Israel-Iran war
Israel, in its mission to destroy Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities, was directly joined by the US this weekend when Donald Trump decided to bomb three key Iranian nuclear facilities.
Israel first attacked Iran on June 13 after the International Atomic Energy Agency found Iran had breached its nuclear obligations. That same agency is now calling for the countries engaged in this war to undertake a “diplomatic path aimed at ending the hostilities.”
Read more: Bitcoin rally stalls despite corporations, funds buying billions
Iran’s parliament recently approved a plan to close the Strait of Hormuz, a stretch of water through which one-fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes. Both the US, China, and Europe all import oil through the strait.
As such, US diplomats have asked China, one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil, to convince Iran to keep it open and avoid a global financial crisis.
The price of bitcoin fell from $102,000 to $99,000 after the US strike. Goldman Sachs has also warned that the price of oil could rise to $110 per barrel and disrupt the global energy supply.
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