How US and Iran are playing a crypto cat-and-mouse game over sanctions

Iran turns to cryptocurrencies to bypass US sanctions, leaving Washington scrambling to close digital loopholes. | Contesto: cronaca

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• How US and Iran are playing a crypto cat-and-mouse game over sanctions

Contesto

Iranian authorities and private citizens are increasingly turning to cryptocurrencies to circumvent American economic sanctions, a digital cat-and-mouse game that Washington is struggling to contain. The use of digital assets, from Bitcoin to privacy-focused coins, has grown as Tehran seeks to offset the impact of renewed U.S. restrictions on its banking and oil sectors, according to analysts and officials familiar with the trend. The shift represents a significant challenge to the U.S. Treasury's decades-old strategy of financial isolation. By leveraging decentralized digital currencies, Iran can conduct international transactions outside the traditional banking system, which is tightly monitored by American regulators. This allows the country to import goods, pay for services, and move money across borders without triggering the alerts that typically accompany wire transfers or letters of credit. For ordinary Iranians, cryptocurrencies offer a lifeline amid runaway inflation and a collapsing rial. With the national currency losing value rapidly, many have turned to Bitcoin and other digital assets as a store of wealth and a means to transfer funds abroad. Local exchanges have proliferated, and peer-to-peer trading is booming, even as the government imposes strict controls on the official foreign exchange market. The U.S. response has been reactive and fragmented. While the Treasury Department has sanctioned several Iranian-linked crypto wallet addresses and exchanges, the decentralized nature of blockchain technology makes enforcement difficult. Unlike traditional finance, where intermediaries can be pressured or shut down, cryptocurrency transactions can occur directly between parties, often using mixers or privacy protocols to obscure their trail. Experts warn that the current regulatory framework is ill-suited to the speed and anonymity of digital currencies. Washington is now playing catch-up, trying to develop tools to trace and block illicit flows without stifling innovation. Some lawmakers have proposed stricter oversight of crypto exchanges and wallet providers, but these measures face legal and technical hurdles, especially when dealing with...

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Categoria: cronaca