Kiyosaki: Iran accepting yuan for oil could pressure dollar

Robert Kiyosaki posted on X that reports of Iran accepting Chinese yuan for oil payments, including transit fees linked to the Strait of Hormuz, could renew pressure on the U.S. dollar.

Kiyosaki referenced comments by Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio on the petrodollar and reserve currencies and asked whether the payments signaled the “death of the U.S. dollar?” He described the situation as “worse than war in Iran” and asked followers to consider how global monetary shifts could affect their finances. He also wrote: “Iran began accepting payment for oil in Chinese Yuan. What does that mean to you and your future and the future of the US dollar?”

Reports from late March and early April said Iran was exploring yuan-based settlement for some oil shipments and that some tanker operators were asked to pay multimillion-dollar transit fees in yuan, stablecoins or other digital assets to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Those reports revived debate about whether more energy trade could move outside dollar-based settlement systems.

Ray Dalio has argued that oil trade helped underpin global demand for the dollar because energy transactions have been conducted in dollars for decades. He linked current tensions to rising U.S. debt, geopolitical strain, sanctions and efforts by some countries to settle trade in other currencies. Dalio has said shifts in reserve currency status tend to occur gradually and relate to broader economic and political cycles.

Kiyosaki has repeatedly raised concerns about government debt, Federal Reserve money creation, inflation and banking stress as factors that could weaken confidence in fiat currencies. He cited growing trade among China, Russia and Iran, BRICS discussions and rising gold purchases by central banks as signs that some countries are seeking payment alternatives to the dollar.

Kiyosaki recommended investing in financial education and listed preferred holdings including bitcoin, gold, silver, oil and real estate as protection against currency debasement and inflation. He wrote: “Remember your best investment is your investment into your financial education… education our schools will never cover.”

Market participants who track reserve currency dynamics say oil settlement practices, central bank reserve composition and sanctions policy are among the factors that influence demand for the dollar. Historical transitions between reserve currencies typically unfold over years as trade, finance and geopolitics change.