Cryptocurrency in Iran

[1][2]January 2025 the central bank began unblocking cryptomoney to fiat traders exchanges with their own government API for full access to user data.

[7][4] However, the legalization came with heavy regulations, including requiring miners to sell their digital assets directly to the Central Bank of Iran (CBI).

[7] Despite these measures, many Iranians utilize virtual private networks (VPNs) to access foreign exchanges, circumventing local restrictions and avoiding scrutiny.

[8][9] International sanctions have significantly limited Iran's access to global financial markets, pushing state-linked entities such as the IRGC to find alternative channels for transactions.

[4][5][10][11] The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies makes them difficult to trace, allowing the IRGC and affiliated groups to use them for sanction evasion and illicit activities.

In 2022, the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Iranian individuals, Amir Hossein Nikaeen Ravari and Ahmad Khatibi Aghada, both linked to the IRGC.