The Iranian government has instituted a new law that does not accept crypto as legal tender or recognize domestic transactions carried out with cryptocurrencies. On Aug. 4, the Cabinet of Iran ratified and released a new bill saying that the government will not recognize any domestic trading activity involving cryptos, Iranian news agency PressTV reports today. Per the report, the new bill says that the government and the banking system will not view digital coins as legal tender, and Iran’s central bank will not guarantee their value. The new bill follows comments from the deputy governor of Iran’s central bank, …

Iranian provincial police have arrested an individual smuggling in cryptocurrency mining machines, local news agency Fars News reported on July 31. The Saveh Police Department's Anti-Trafficking Police seized a truck allegedly carrying 117 cryptocurrency mining machines to the value of 11.7 billion Iranian rials ($277,876 at press time). According to Sardar Kiomars Azizi, a Police News Agency official, the police confiscated the aforementioned crypto mining equipment and arrested the truck driver. Crypto mining in complicated regulatory territory The news comes in the wake of the Iranian government’s authorization of cryptocurrency mining as an industrial activity in July. Now, entities engaged …

The Iranian government has authorized cryptocurrency mining as an industrial activity. A report from IIDO-owned Mehr News Agency on July 29 revealed that the decision was taken this weekend, during a Sunday cabinet session chaired by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. First step towards legalizing crypto? Now that mining has been officially authorized, entities engaged in the activity will be required to seek a license from Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, the report notes. Mehr News claims that many experts are interpreting the move as being the first step towards the legalization of cryptocurrencies in Iran, noting the potential …

The Iranian government’s Economic Commission has approved a mechanism of cryptocurrency mining in the country, according to an announcement by the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture on July 22. Iran’s Economic Commission approves crypto mining ‘mechanism’ Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Abdolnaser Hemmati said that “a mechanism to mine digital coins was approved by the government’s economic commission and will later be put to discussion at a Cabinet meeting.” Initially, Iranian authorities announced that they are planning to authorize Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining earlier in July, when the CBI governor Abdol Hemmati reportedly claimed …

The Iranian Economic Commission has reportedly finalized a tariff scheme for cryptocurrency miners, according to a July 21 report from Iranian economic daily Financial Tribune. Per the report, Energy Minister Homayoon Ha’eri announced that, while the tariff scheme has been finalized, it is awaiting approval from the Cabinet of Iran — a governmental body consisting of various ministers and other officials chosen by the president. While Ha’eri did not elaborate on the exact price scheme, he stated that the price is dependent on market factors such as fuel prices in the Persian Gulf. The head of Iran Electrical Industry Syndicate, …

Iran’s customs administration has not issued licenses for importing digital currency mining equipment into the country due to the absence of approval from the government. Deputy President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Jamal Arounaghi said that the agency has not issued any licenses for importing cryptocurrency mining devices into the country, multilingual Tehran-based news outlet Mehr News Agency reported on July 21. While cryptocurrency mining equipment is banned in the country, IRICA has determined a tariff rate for its import, defining it as related to the computers and central processors. Arounaghi noted that the presence of …

In a world where the global crypto community continues to face a growing number of regulatory hurdles with each passing day, the term “virgin Bitcoin” is starting to become more common among digital currency enthusiasts. However, it is of utmost importance to clarify what this term actually means and the significance it carries. According to Dave Jevans, the CEO of CipherTrace, virgin Bitcoins are essentially BTC tokens that do not have a transaction (TX) record associated with them. As a result of this, coins lack a defined attribution history, making them extremely useful for money launderers as well as other …

Iranian authorities are wrestling with the rising number of citizens turning to Bitcoin mining and use as a means of coping with a sanctions-crippled economy. Iran’s minister for information and communications technology, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, told the Associated Press (AP) that the country has become “a heaven for miners,” according to a July 18 report. He noted: “The business of ‘mining’ is not forbidden in law but the government and the Central Bank have ordered the Customs Bureau to ban the import of [mining machines] until new regulations are introduced.” An ailing economy fuels cryptocurrency production and use In …

If there's one thing the United States has had a history of, it's imposing sanctions on its enemies. Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Russia and numerous other nations have been subject to restrictions and penalties over the years, with the U.S. harnessing its economic muscle in order to punish pretty much any country that doesn't play by the international rulebook. One of the most notable of these countries is Iran — which, since the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, has been on the receiving end of a long series of prohibitions, blocks and sanctions. Some of these sanctions were lifted in …

The American Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) has assembled an assessment of current and future risks of cryptocurrency use by countries adversarial to the United States in a report published on July 11. In the report, the agency outlines possible future scenarios that would make blockchain technology sanctions resistance a larger threat. Specifically, the FDD analyzed how countries such as Russia, China, Venezuela and Iran are deploying digital currency technology, and in what way this phenomenon could influence United States sanctions in future. In the report, the FDD warns against a scenario in which one of the above countries …

Iranian authorities are planning to authorize cryptocurrency mining, as the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) declared, international Iranian news agency PressTV reported on July 10. CBI governor Abdol Hemmati reportedly claimed that the Iranian government has approved some parts of an executive law that would authorize mining of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) in Iran. Hemmati’s claim follows a lengthy back-and-forth on the legal status of cryptocurrencies in Iran. As Hemmati explained, the planned law will require crypto mining in Iran to abide with the price of electricity for export, rather than allowing miners to use the …

Buying and selling cryptocurrencies like bitcoin (BTC) is illegal in Iran, a senior government official declared, according to a report by local news agency Tasnim News on July 8. Nasser Hakimi, deputy governor for new technologies at the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), said that bitcoin trading is not legal in the country, citing a related prohibition by a local anti-money laundering (AML) authority, the Supreme Council of Combating and Preventing Money laundering and Financing of Terrorism Crimes. In an interview with Tasnim News, Hakimi warned the public against legal and investment risks associated with cryptocurrency trading, outlining a high …