Has it saved their currency? Has it prevented hyperinflation? Has it stopped the population from going hungry or rioting?
The Iranian govt. is reputedly buying heaps of US dollars to shore up their collapsing economy and while gold may seem the answer you have to find someone to buy it and pay the going price. US dollars, long reviled by the goldbugs as worthless, are far more useful and liquid than a piece of metal.
You cant' eat it, food is a real asset in those circumstances, not gold.
