Iran Cryptocurrency Regulation: What’s Really Happening with Mining and Crypto Sales

When it comes to Iran cryptocurrency regulation, a complex mix of state control, energy policy, and economic pressure that forces crypto miners to hand over part of their output to the government. Also known as Iran crypto policy, it’s not about banning crypto—it’s about controlling it. Unlike countries that outright ban digital assets, Iran lets people mine Bitcoin and other coins, but only if they follow strict state rules. This approach turns mining from a free-market activity into a state-managed resource, similar to how oil or gas is handled.

The core of this system is the Central Bank of Iran, the government body that now demands miners sell 30% of their mined crypto to the state at fixed prices. Also known as Iranian Central Bank crypto mandate, this rule was introduced in 2025 to fund imports, reduce black-market trading, and manage electricity use. Miners get paid in Iranian rials, not dollars or crypto, which strips them of the ability to profit from global price swings. Meanwhile, private crypto exchanges and peer-to-peer trading are heavily restricted, making it hard for ordinary users to buy or sell crypto freely. This isn’t just about money—it’s about control. By forcing miners to sell to the state, the government gains a steady stream of foreign currency (through crypto sales abroad) while keeping the local crypto market suppressed. It’s a clever workaround for sanctions: use crypto mining to earn dollars, then funnel those dollars into essential imports like medicine and food.

What’s missing from this picture? Transparency. There’s no public registry of licensed miners, no clear tax code for crypto income, and no official guidance on how to report earnings. People who try to trade crypto privately risk fines or worse. Meanwhile, tools like mandatory crypto sales, the legal requirement forcing miners to surrender a portion of their output to state authorities are being enforced without public debate. The result? A shadow economy where miners operate under constant pressure, traders use VPNs to access foreign exchanges, and the average person has little access to crypto unless they go through unofficial channels.

If you’re wondering how this affects real people, look at the miners. Many are small operators running rigs in garages or basements, using subsidized electricity. Now, they’re forced to hand over a third of their earnings to the state—sometimes at prices far below market value. Some quit. Others find ways to hide their output. And a few try to sell on the black market, risking arrest. Meanwhile, the state quietly sells the collected crypto on international exchanges, turning Iran’s energy surplus into hard currency.

So what’s next? The rules could tighten further—maybe the mandatory sale rate goes up, or mining licenses become even harder to get. Or maybe, as global crypto markets shift, Iran finds new ways to use its mining power. Either way, the country has created a unique model: crypto isn’t banned, but it’s not free either. What you’ll find below are real, up-to-date reports on how these rules are playing out in practice—from mining crackdowns to the rise of underground trading networks. No fluff. Just facts about what’s really happening on the ground in Iran.