Iranian Central Bank Mandates Crypto Sales from Miners Under New 2025 Regulations

Iran’s cryptocurrency mining industry isn’t just operating under rules-it’s operating under a microscope. As of early 2025, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has tightened its grip on every aspect of digital asset production, requiring miners to sell a portion of their output directly to state-controlled entities. This isn’t a suggestion. It’s a legal requirement. And it’s reshaping how mining happens in the country.

Why the Central Bank Took Control

Iran’s economy has been under heavy sanctions for years. The U.S. and European Union have blocked access to global banking systems, making it nearly impossible for Iranian businesses to receive dollars or euros. In response, the government turned to Bitcoin. Mining became a way to generate foreign currency without touching traditional banks. But by 2024, things got messy.

Unregulated mining farms were sucking up massive amounts of electricity. Rolling blackouts hit cities like Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. At the same time, miners were selling Bitcoin on peer-to-peer markets, bypassing the rial entirely. The government couldn’t track the money. It couldn’t control the flow. And the rial kept falling.

In January 2025, President Masoud Pezeshkian gave the Central Bank of Iran full authority over crypto. No more gray areas. No more underground farms. Every miner-individual or corporate-must now be licensed. And they must hand over a portion of their mined coins to the state.

How the Mandatory Sales System Works

The rule is simple: miners must sell 30% of their monthly Bitcoin and Ethereum output to the CBI at the official exchange rate. That rate is set weekly and is typically 20-30% lower than the black market price. The rest can be sold on approved domestic exchanges, but only after passing strict KYC checks.

The CBI doesn’t just take coins. It takes data. Every mining rig must be registered with a unique ID. Power consumption is monitored in real time through government-linked smart meters. If a farm uses more than its licensed allotment, it’s shut down. Repeat offenders face fines or jail time.

This isn’t about stopping mining. It’s about controlling it. Iran still wants to be one of the top five global miners. It just wants to make sure the profits go to the state, not to private hands.

Who’s Affected?

There are two types of miners in Iran now: licensed and unlicensed.

Licensed miners are mostly large operations tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or state-owned enterprises. These farms, like the 175-megawatt facility in Rafsanjan, get priority power access and are exempt from some of the stricter reporting rules. They still have to sell 30% to the CBI-but they’re allowed to keep the rest and trade it on approved platforms.

Smaller miners-individuals running rigs in garages or warehouses-are now in a tight spot. Many used to sell Bitcoin directly to buyers in Turkey or the UAE. Now, those transactions are blocked. The CBI has shut down over 200 unlicensed crypto-to-rial exchange websites since February 2025. If you’re mining without a license, you’re breaking the law. And if you try to sell on the black market, your wallet can be traced.

What Happens to the Coins the CBI Buys?

The Central Bank doesn’t hold Bitcoin to speculate. It uses the coins as a foreign currency reserve. When it needs dollars, it sells Bitcoin to foreign intermediaries-often through shell companies in Oman, Qatar, or Armenia. These intermediaries then convert the Bitcoin into cash and transfer it to Iranian importers who need to pay for medicine, food, or machinery.

It’s a workaround. A clever one. Instead of relying on SWIFT, Iran is using blockchain. And it’s working. In 2024, Iran’s Bitcoin mining output was estimated at $950 million. The CBI claims it collected $285 million in coins from miners that year. That’s enough to cover 15% of Iran’s essential imports.

Resistance and Loopholes

Not everyone is playing along. The Iran Fintech Association has publicly refused to comply with data-sharing demands, calling them a violation of privacy. Some miners are switching to Monero or other privacy coins, hoping to avoid tracking. Others are using mesh networks to bypass internet censorship and sell directly to foreign buyers.

There’s also a growing trend of miners exporting hardware. Instead of mining in Iran, they’re shipping ASIC rigs to Turkey, Georgia, or Kazakhstan-where electricity is cheaper and regulations are looser. The rigs are still owned by Iranians, but the mining happens abroad. The profits come back via hawala networks or crypto-to-crypto swaps.

The CBI is aware of these moves. In March 2025, it announced plans to ban the export of mining equipment without a special permit. Violators could face asset seizures.

Energy and the Real Cost

Iran has some of the cheapest electricity in the world. That’s why miners flooded in. But the grid can’t handle it. In December 2024, power outages lasted up to 12 hours in some provinces. The government blamed unauthorized mining for 30% of the strain.

To fix this, the CBI introduced a tiered power pricing system. Miners using more than 100 kW/month pay triple the rate. Those under 10 kW pay a subsidized rate-but only if they’re licensed and compliant.

Still, many small miners can’t afford the upgrade to energy-efficient rigs. A 2024 study by Tehran University found that 68% of home miners still use outdated Antminer S9s, which consume 1,375 watts per terahash. Newer models like the Antminer S21 use less than half that. But they cost $5,000-$8,000. Most Iranian miners can’t afford that.

The Digital Rial and the Future

The CBI isn’t just controlling Bitcoin. It’s preparing for the digital rial. A pilot program on Kish Island is testing a state-backed digital currency that can be used for domestic payments. The goal? Replace Bitcoin as the people’s store of value.

But here’s the catch: the digital rial is fully traceable. Every transaction is logged. There’s no anonymity. That’s the opposite of what Bitcoin offers.

If the digital rial succeeds, demand for Bitcoin could drop. Miners might leave. But if it fails-and the rial keeps falling-people will keep turning to crypto. And the CBI will keep demanding their coins.

What This Means for Miners

If you’re mining in Iran in 2025, you have three choices:

1. Get licensed, sell 30% to the CBI, and keep the rest on approved exchanges.
2. Go underground, risk fines or arrest, and sell on black markets with no protection.
3. Ship your rigs abroad and mine elsewhere, keeping profits but losing control over your hardware.

There’s no fourth option. The era of free mining in Iran is over.

What This Means for the Global Market

Iran still accounts for about 4.5% of global Bitcoin mining. That’s more than Canada and Norway combined. But now, a chunk of that output is being funneled into state reserves instead of global markets.

That could reduce Bitcoin’s supply in the short term. Less selling pressure from Iranian miners might push prices up slightly. But it also means less liquidity in peer-to-peer markets. And that makes it harder for people in other sanctioned countries-like Venezuela or Russia-to buy Bitcoin using Iranian miners’ coins.

Iran isn’t just changing its own rules. It’s changing how crypto moves in the shadow economy.

Final Reality Check

The Iranian Central Bank didn’t ban crypto. It didn’t even ban mining. It just took control. Now, mining isn’t a way to get rich-it’s a way to serve the state. And if you don’t comply? You’re not just breaking a rule. You’re risking your freedom.

The world watches. But in Iran, the only thing that matters is what happens behind closed doors-with a government that’s not afraid to use power, data, and force to win.