Tether and US stablecoins are dead. Just Bitcoin, Gold, and CBDC remain.

The US Treasury Department recently froze $344 million held by Iran's central bank, in two digital wallets that contained Tether (USDT) Stablecoins. Tether cooperated with Treasury in these actions, intended to shut off Iranian sales of oil. Stablecoins were promoted as alternatives to traditional banks, and are in wide use outside the United States. Tether is the largest stablecoin, with transaction volumes higher than Visa and MasterCard, and assets of hundreds of billions of dollars in US Treasury bonds, gold, and other investments. Stablecoins were also perceived as decentralized, and outside the reach of regulators and governments, except in cases of egregious criminal violations. Crypto market players reacted violently to the news of the freeze, and (truly decentralized) Bitcoin has traded sharply higher since. Closing scene, Lujiazui Financial District, Shanghai Resources and links: Tether Acquires Over 6 Tons of Gold in Q1 2026, Expanding Holdings to 132 Tons https://phemex.com/news/article/tethe... https://www.binance.com/en/square/pos... Tether Supports Freeze of More Than $344 Million in USD₮ in Coordination with OFAC and U.S. Law Enforcement https://tether.io/news/tether-support... OFAC Updates Central Bank of Iran Designation Following Record $344 Million Tether Seizure amid Strait of Hormuz Toll Controversy https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/cent... Bessent says US seized nearly $500M in Iranian crypto as Operation Economic Fury sends regime into ‘crisis’ https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/bes... https://x.com/TFTC21/status/204774595... The US just seized $344 million in crypto from Iran — and it's a preview of how sanctions warfare works in 2026 https://www.binance.com/en/square/pos... JUST IN: Tether is a top 10 buyer of US Treasuries https://www.kucoin.com/news/insight/U... The CBDC we already have https://no01.substack.com/p/the-cbdc-... Dollar Shortage Still Looms After Argentina Buys Time at IMF https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl... Scott Bessent's $20 billion dollar gamble on Argentina https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/nx-s1-... Treasury Dept. Issues More Sanctions on Iranian Oil Exports https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/us... Treasury Yields Snapshot: May 1, 2026 https://www.advisorperspectives.com/d... Stablecoins: Definition, How They Work, and Types https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/... How does US foreign aid work and where does it go? https://usafacts.org/articles/which-c... Tether minted around $15 billion in profit last year—and its CEO makes a strong case for finance leaders to finally embrace stablecoins https://fortune.com/2026/01/27/tether... Why are BRICS countries buying so much gold? https://www.idnfinancials.com/news/63... Bitcoin on May 4: BTC Price Hits $80K for First Time Since January https://bitcoinfoundation.org/news/bi... Why Nigeria ranks number one globally in USDT, USDC ownership https://tribuneonlineng.com/why-niger... Israelis rush to buy dollars, sparking nationwide shortage https://www.ynetnews.com/business/art...