The Teenage Crypto Enthusiast in Tehran—I Used USDT to Buy a Ticket to Escape to Turkey

My name is Ali, I’m 22 years old, living in Tehran, Iran.
On April 1, 2026, Trump declared on TV that he had “destroyed the Iranian Navy.” On the same day, the black market exchange rate for the rial against the dollar dropped to 850k rials per USD—three months earlier, it was 600k. My mother needs to carry a bundle of cash to buy a single loaf of bread.

My Secret
Two years ago, I learned how to use Gate.io through a VPN. Every month, I earn about $50 from odd jobs and convert all of it into USDT. I dare not tell anyone because cryptocurrency trading is banned in Iran, and getting caught could mean jail.

April 3
Trump tweeted that he would continue to strike “vigorously in the next two to three weeks.” The Iranian military entered maximum alert, and the entire country’s internet was shut down for 12 hours. I hid in the bathroom, checking my wallet via satellite internet: 1,200 USDT, worth $1,200. In Tehran, that’s a family’s half-year salary.

April 4
The internet was restored. I contacted a smuggler in Istanbul who quoted USDT: crossing the land route from Tehran through the Turkish border, each person costs 800 USDT. My sister and I decided to escape. I used 1,000 USDT to buy two “positions,” and exchanged the remaining 200 USDT for Turkish lira.

April 5 — Now
I’m in a broken-down car at the border, the phone signal is intermittent. I open Gate.io and see you discussing “non-farm payroll data,” “Trump’s tariffs,” “Bitcoin halving.” You’re talking about profits and losses; I’m talking about life and death. But I still thank cryptocurrency—it allowed me, in a country where money turns to waste paper, to preserve the capital needed to escape.

This article might be censored, but that’s okay. I just want to say: don’t take peace and stability for granted. Sometimes, your USDT is more useful than gold.

#Gate广场四月发帖挑战