Iran eases FX rules, allows USDT, Bitcoin for cross-border trade

Iran's shift to permit crypto settlement for cross-border trade is a notable departure from strict FX controls, signaling that sanctioned economies may increasingly turn to digital assets as a pragmatic workaround. The reported $10 billion in on-chain flows suggests significant existing usage, and this policy could further normalize crypto in state-level commerce. The key question is whether other sanctioned jurisdictions will follow suit, and how Western regulators respond to the growing entanglement of crypto with geopolitical finance.