The increase in business transactions has been accompanied by a rise in the abuse of the international trade system by criminal organizations to transform their illegal revenues into apparently legitimate earnings. Due to its extensiveness and complexity, the international trade system is vulnerable to money laundering. Trade-based money laundering has interested many anti-money laundering (AML) institutions, especially the FATF, because of its hidden angles and mysterious methods. Different countries are internationally committed to fighting against money laundering, for this crime has many adverse effects on the integrity of financial markets. Hence, this descriptive-analytical study aims to identify the most prevalent methods of abusing the international trade system and identify the most vulnerable sectors to trade-based money laundering by reviewing the reports and investigations conducted by the major AML institutions worldwide. Next, Iran’s commercial system is analyzed to investigate fundamental challenges threatening the business sector due to trade-based money laundering in Iran. The research results showed that economic rents emerge as a result of Iran’s currency policies and international sanctions which have made foreign trade prone to crimes and money laundering. Therefore, attempts at lifting sanctions and redesigning economic policies, especially in business and currency sectors, can play a key role in preventing and combating the abuse of the international trade system for money laundering.