The story of the Iranian Rial has recently become the most ironic case in the crypto world.

Since the U.S. intensified sanctions in mid-last year, this currency has entered an uncontrollable devaluation spiral. By the end of the year, black market prices plummeted to a historic low of 1 USD = 1.45 million Rial—over 60% depreciation in half a year. Meanwhile, inflation soared to 42.2%, turning people's grocery baskets into a meat grinder, with food prices skyrocketing by 72%. The central bank governor, Falsin, couldn't withstand the pressure and resigned in disgrace.

Interestingly, the central bank's next move was completely counterintuitive. Faced with an economic crisis, they didn't choose to stabilize the market but instead directed all their firepower against Bitcoin—issuing bans, shutting down exchanges, implementing trading curfews, and even encouraging reports on miners. This series of aggressive measures seemed harsh, but what was the result? P2P and DEX trading volumes among civilians doubled directly, and Bitcoin underground became a "hard currency" in the black market. The central bank inadvertently became the most powerful promoter of the crypto industry. Everyone online is laughing: this operation is arguably the "peak of reverse marketing."

Why does it become more popular the more it's banned? A few logical points reveal the truth.

**Decentralization simply can't be blocked.** Banning centralized exchanges is easy, but how do you block P2P and DEX? Freezing accounts is possible, but private keys are in people's hands. The demand for asset preservation is a basic necessity—this is fundamentally a fight against human nature, and it’s destined to fail.

**History has already given the answer.** During Venezuela's Bolivar collapse, the government also banned BTC, and the result was the same—Bitcoin became underground hard currency, with trading volume surging. The simple truth is: once the local currency loses credibility, any ban on alternative assets is just paper tiger.

**The root problem isn't BTC itself.** The dilemma of the Rial stems from geopolitical and economic structural issues, which have little to do with cryptocurrencies. Banning BTC can't solve these fundamental contradictions; instead, it makes people more determined to find alternative hedging tools. It’s like plugging a hole in a pipe without fixing the pipe itself—blaming the water for flowing out makes no sense.