Posted on 05/30/2026 4:15:26 AM PDT by nuconvert
The decentralized nature of cryptocurrency makes it an ideal vehicle for sanctions evasion and an increasingly vital pillar of Iran’s wartime economy.
As the risk of renewed U.S.-Iran conflict rises, Tehran has moved quickly to adapt to wartime realities while attempting to limit the impact on border security, domestic stability, and the broader economy. Despite obvious constraints, the Islamic Republic has had a measure of success in maintaining control at home while circumventing U.S. pressure in the Strait of Hormuz through shadow tankers and ship-to-ship transfers to sustain oil exports. This has reignited Western debates over whether sanctions and military actions are enough to curb Tehran’s economic capabilities.
These debates have increasingly focused on Iran’s rapidly expanding cryptocurrency economy, which is closely tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Reports indicate that even amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes targeting major Iranian cities and infrastructure, the country’s largest digital asset platform, Nobitex, continues to operate. It serves both as a retail gateway for ordinary Iranians seeking access to foreign currency and as a crucial pillar of Iran’s financial architecture, enabling cross-border value transfers beyond traditional banking channels. Although Iran has refrained from legally or officially adopting cryptocurrency, it has increasingly supported the industry, albeit in a controlled manner, as a potential revenue source and sanctions-busting apparatus.
An Economic Lifeline
Despite decades of sanctions, cryptocurrency’s role in Iran’s state strategy extends well beyond mere evasion. According to 2025 estimates, the Iranian crypto ecosystem reached over $7.78 billion in value despite high levels of domestic instability and external military pressure.
(excerpt)
Founded in 2018 by two brothers from Iran’s powerful Kharrazi clan, which is linked to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Nobitex has processed transactions ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars linked to sanctioned groups, including Iran’s central bank and the IRGC. Over time, Iran built a sophisticated cryptocurrency exchange network capable of funding its proxy networks across the region while circumventing international sanctions.
(Read more at Link)
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Switch to a new monetary system backed by nothing at all.
Where have we seen that before?
Scott Bessent has a surprise for Iranian leaders.
Bitcoin Magazine
@BitcoinMagazine
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. Government has seized $1 billion of Iran’s crypto:
“Just outright grabbed the wallets. Some of them may be typing in right now and might not realize their wallet had been grabbed.”
https://x.com/i/status/2060442288598155762
I saw. Only about 7 billion more to seize ?
Leave them “Broke as a convict”.............
7 billion as of last year.... who knows how many more now.
Unless we take out the means to mine more (electrical grids, etc), I don’t see an end. And taking out electrical grids & infrastructure is really debilitating on the people.
Iran/IRGC uses Tether crypto coin. Tether is tied to the USD, so its value is stays in sync with the USD. No bitcoin fluctuations.
Tether inc owns 135 billions in US Treasuries to backup Tether. Tether is quite legit for international transactions, done lightning fast and much less expensive than bank wires. Very popular in S Korea.
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Tether International, the issuer of the stablecoin USD₮, has significantly expanded its holdings of U.S. government debt, reaching an all-time high of about $135 billion in direct and indirect U.S. Treasuries as of Q3 2025 tether.io+1. This positions Tether as the 17th-largest holder of U.S. debt globally, surpassing countries such as South Korea, the UAE, and Germany
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War 101:
Stalin’s security general: “Where there are people there are problems. Eliminate the people and you eliminate the problems.”
1. Governments and militaries don’t wage war. Populations wage war.
Examples:
A. Dresden
B. Tokyo
C. Hiroshima
D. Nagasaki
What is a “radical militarist”?
You seem more like a radical pacifist.
The emperor has no clothes.
Ha. Another FReeper called me that.
I’m not a pacifist. I wish we’d bombed the hell out of this Iranian regime instead having a ceasefire.
I am also concerned about the Iranian people.
We got so much oil we’re dumping it in the ocean!
This positions Tether as the 17th-largest holder of U.S. debt globally, surpassing countries such as South Korea, the UAE, and Germany
(Who are the 16 ahead of it?)
Who is Tether and why isn't it a country? SOMEone runs it!
African proverb: When the elephants fight, the monkeys flee.
Ponzi is giggling in his grave.
Tether Limited Inc. is very profitable. The principals are billionaires. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tether_(cryptocurrency)
Tether (cryptocurrency) - Wikipedia
Tether claims that it intends to hold all Security and liquidity
In September 2017, Tether published a memorandum from a public accounting firm that Tether Limited showed that tethers were fully backed by United States dollars;[100][non-primary source needed] however, according to The New York Times, independent attorney Lewis Cohen stated the document, because of the careful way it was phrased, does not prove that the Tether coins are backed by dollars.[25] The documents also fail to ascertain whether the balances in question are otherwise encumbered.[91] The accounting firm specifically stated: "This information is intended solely to assist the management of Tether Limited ... and is not intended to be, and should not be, used or relied upon by any other party."[100]
Tether has not publicly presented audits showing that the amount of tethers outstanding are backed one-to-one by United States dollars on deposit despite repeated claims that they would.[101] A June 2018 attempt at an audit was posted on their website in June 2018 which showed a report by the law firm Freeh, Sporkin & Sullivan LLP (FSS), which appeared to confirm that dollars fully backed the issued tethers; however, FSS stated that "FSS is not an accounting firm and did not perform the above review and confirmations using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles", and added: "The above confirmation of bank and tether balances should not be construed as the results of an audit and were not conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards."[37] Stuart Hoegner, Tether's general counsel said "the bottom line is an audit cannot be obtained. The big four firms are anathema to that level of risk. We've gone for what we think is the next best thing."[101]
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