US removes sanctions from three IRGC-linked entities in targeted policy shift

The US Treasury Department has delisted three Iranian airlines and two associated aircraft from counterterrorism sanctions, entities that had been designated due to their links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The move represents a notable, if narrow, adjustment to Washington’s sprawling sanctions architecture against Tehran. For the crypto world, the immediate takeaway is straightforward: nothing changes. The delisting targets aviation assets, not digital finance infrastructure, and comes just weeks after the Treasury went in the opposite direction on crypto by sanctioning Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, for its own IRGC connections. What actually happened The sanctions being lifted were imposed under Executive Order 13224, the legal framework the US has used since the post-9/11 era to target entities tied to terrorism financing. The IRGC itself has been subject to escalating designations since roughly 2017-2019, including its addition to the Foreign Terrorist Organization list. This delisting covers three airlines and two aircraft. The selective nature of the move is the story here. Washington isn’t opening the floodgates. It’s adjusting specific line...