No Victory, No Spoils: Tehran Rebuffs Trump’s Claims as Gold Surges 2% Amid Fed Feud

Tehran’s Sharp Rebuff to Trump’s ‘War Spoils’ Rhetoric

At 23:00 Tehran time, the geopolitical temperature has spiked following a direct exchange between the White House and the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei responded forcefully to recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested that the United States is entitled to 'spoils' from the ongoing conflict with Iran. Baqaei’s retort was blunt: "Before anyone can lay claim to spoils of war, they must first have won the war." This exchange marks a significant shift in the narrative, as the Trump administration moves away from diplomatic pressure toward a more predatory wartime vocabulary that treats Iranian national assets as potential prizes of victory.

For the average Iranian, this rhetoric is more than just a war of words; it is a direct signal of the administration's long-term intent regarding sanctions and asset seizures. While the USD/IRR rate has remained relatively stable at 186,700 (a slight -0.2% decrease from 187,000), the underlying anxiety is palpable in the gold market. Gold 18k per gram has surged by 2.3%, moving from 18,525,786 to 18,957,477 Toman. This divergence suggests that while the central bank may be defending the currency floor, the public is fleeing into hard assets as the threat of an expanded conflict looms larger.

Trump Renews War on the Fed Despite Legal Setbacks

In a move that has rattled global financial markets, Donald Trump has renewed his attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. This comes despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that ostensibly protected the independence of the central bank. The White House reportedly sent a letter to Cook citing allegations of mortgage fraud—the same claims that were dismissed by many legal experts last summer. By challenging the Fed's autonomy, the administration is signaling a desire for more direct control over interest rates and monetary policy, which critics argue could lead to hyper-inflationary pressures if left unchecked.

This institutional instability in Washington is a primary driver behind the global surge in gold, which now sits at a staggering $4,349.30 per ounce. When the world's reserve currency issuer enters a period of internal governance crisis, investors traditionally seek refuge in non-sovereign assets. For Iranian traders, the potential weakening of the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) due to Fed interference provides a complex backdrop: while it might technically lower the value of the USD, the global chaos it triggers often drives local Toman prices higher due to regional risk premiums.

The Human Cost of Geopolitics: From Russia to the UK

Beyond the corridors of power in Tehran and Washington, the human toll of global tensions is becoming more acute. In Russia, the family of former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman has reported that he is in a state of "dissociative stupor" while in detention. Gilman, who has been held since 2022, is increasingly seen as a pawn in the broader geopolitical chess match between Moscow and the West. This deteriorating situation adds another layer of complexity for the U.S. State Department, which is already stretched thin managing the conflict in the Middle East and the fallout from new sanctions on Iranian crypto exchanges like Shelbit and Aban Tether.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the town of Thetford remains on edge following days of what locals describe as "mob rule" over government plans to house asylum seekers. The disorder highlights a growing domestic instability in Western nations that often mirrors the volatility seen in emerging markets. As social cohesion frays in Europe and the U.S., the global appetite for risk continues to diminish, reinforcing the bull case for Bitcoin—which is currently testing the $65,000 resistance level—and other decentralized assets that exist outside the reach of failing state institutions.

Market Impact and the Crypto Crackdown

Washington has intensified its economic warfare against Iran by widening its crypto crackdown. The Treasury’s OFAC recently targeted two prominent exchanges, Shelbit and Aban Tether, in a bid to cut off the flow of foreign currency to Tehran. This move is designed to close the loopholes that have allowed the Iranian economy to breathe despite heavy traditional sanctions. For the Iranian tech and finance sector, this represents a major hurdle, as these platforms were essential for both individual savings and small-scale international trade.

Despite these pressures, Bitcoin (BTC) remains resilient at $64,894, though it faces significant exhaustion signals at the $65k mark. The interplay between U.S. regulatory pressure and global demand for censorship-resistant money is reaching a boiling point. As the U.S. workforce shrinks—down by over 1 million people in the last year—and the Fed faces existential threats from the executive branch, the narrative of "digital gold" vs. "physical gold" is no longer a theoretical debate but a daily reality for millions of people trying to preserve their wealth in a world of shifting borders and breaking treaties.