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Is crypto legal in Iran? Rules & regulation (2026)

Crypto is developing in Iran.

Iran operates a heavily restricted and state-controlled crypto environment: mining is legal under Ministry of Industry licensing, and domestic exchanges may obtain CBI licences with mandatory government API integration for transaction surveillance, but crypto payments are banned, stablecoin ownership is capped, and advertising is prohibited. US OFAC sanctions, including an April 2026 designation of Central Bank of Iran crypto addresses and a $344 million USDT freeze, further constrain Iran's access to global digital-asset markets.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Iran with other countries

Legal framework

Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Policy and Regulatory Framework for Cryptocurrencies (approved December 2024); Presidential Directive designating CBI as sole regulator (January 2025); Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade licensing for mining

Status by sub-area

  • Stablecoins

    Partial

    Private stablecoin use is severely restricted: since September 2025, CBI caps purchases at $5,000/year and holdings at $10,000 per person or entity. No domestic framework for private stablecoin issuance exists; the CBI's own Digital Rial CBDC is the state-backed alternative.

  • Exchanges / VASP

    Partial

    Domestic crypto exchanges and OTC desks must obtain a CBI licence and integrate with a state-controlled transaction-monitoring API; the CBI shut down unlicensed rial payment gateways in early 2025. International exchanges are effectively barred from serving Iranian users under US OFAC sanctions.

  • Token Offerings

    Unclear

    No dedicated legal framework for ICOs, STOs, or token sales has been published in Iran. The CBI's December 2024 regulatory framework addresses exchanges, brokers, and mining; token issuance, securities classification of digital assets, and prospectus requirements remain unaddressed in official guidance.

    Still pending: ICO/STO legal framework and token securities classification not yet published

  • Custody

    Partial

    Licensed exchanges must route client rial balances through CBI-approved accounts and provide the regulator with transaction data access. No publicly codified qualified-custodian standard, proof-of-reserves requirement, asset-segregation rule, or insurance obligation for crypto custody has been announced beyond general CBI oversight.

    Still pending: Qualified-custodian standard, proof-of-reserves, asset-segregation, and insurance rules not codified

  • DeFi

    Unclear

    Iran has published no regulatory framework for DeFi protocols, liquidity pools, or DAOs. Blockchain analytics firms have documented Iranian state-linked wallets—including CBI-associated addresses—using DeFi bridges on Ethereum and BNB Chain to fragment and obscure funds routed toward centralized exchanges, but no domestic legal posture on DeFi has been formally articulated.

    Still pending: DeFi regulatory framework for protocols, liquidity pools, and DAOs not published

  • Tax

    Partial

    Iran's Law on Taxation of Speculation and Profiteering (August 2025) introduces the first statutory capital-gains-style tax on crypto-trading profits, placing crypto alongside gold, forex, and real estate as a taxable speculative asset. Implementation is phased; rules for staking, airdrop, and mining income are not yet fully codified in published guidance.

    Still pending: Tax treatment of staking, airdrop, and mining income not yet fully codified

Key points: crypto & digital assets in Iran

  1. CBI as Sole Regulator (Jan 2025)

    President Pezeshkian formally assigned the Central Bank of Iran as the sole authority over the cryptocurrency market in January 2025. The CBI had approved its Policy and Regulatory Framework for Cryptocurrencies in December 2024, developed in coordination with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance and the Cyberspace Council.

    tehrantimes.com trmlabs.com

  2. Crypto Payments Banned

    Using cryptocurrency as a means of payment for goods and services remains prohibited. All rial-to-crypto and crypto-to-rial flows must pass through CBI-approved accounts via a government-controlled API that enables real-time transaction surveillance.

    maint.loc.gov trmlabs.com

  3. Stablecoin Caps (Sept 2025)

    In September 2025 the CBI imposed strict limits on stablecoins: individual and corporate purchases are capped at $5,000 per year, and total holdings may not legally exceed $10,000. Separately, Elliptic reported that the CBI acquired $507 million in Tether USDT to support the rial exchange rate.

    ainfp.org coindesk.com

  4. Speculation & Profiteering Tax Law (Aug 2025)

    Iran enacted the Law on Taxation of Speculation and Profiteering in August 2025, for the first time subjecting crypto-trading gains to capital-gains-style taxation, treating crypto alongside gold, real estate, and forex. Implementation is phased.

    trmlabs.com

  5. OFAC Sanctions on CBI Crypto Addresses (Apr 2026)

    On 24 April 2026, the US Treasury OFAC updated its designation of the Central Bank of Iran by adding cryptocurrency wallet addresses to the SDN list. Tether and US authorities froze approximately $344 million in USDT linked to those addresses, citing transactions with Iranian exchanges and CBI-associated wallets.

    chainalysis.com trmlabs.com ofac.treasury.gov

  6. Digital Rial CBDC in Development

    The CBI is developing a state-controlled Central Bank Digital Currency known as the Digital Rial (Ramzrial). A limited pilot on Kish Island allows customers to pay via digital wallet, positioning the CBDC as a controlled substitute for decentralised digital assets.

    cbdctracker.hrf.org cbdctracker.org

Timeline of decisions

  1. Decision
    Iran eases currency controls to let traders bring earnings home in crypto: FT

    CoinDesk Policy

  2. Decision
    U.S. widens Iran crackdown to encompass crypto, gold, shipping and technology

    CoinDesk Policy

  3. Enforcement
    US escalates Iran pressure with sanctions on crypto, aviation, shipping and gold as part of ‘economic D-Day’

    The Block

  4. Enforcement
    U.S. widens Iran crypto crackdown with sanctions on two exchanges

    CoinDesk Policy

  5. Enforcement
    U.S. adds four Iran central bank crypto wallets to sanctions, Tether freezes $131 million of contents

    CoinDesk Policy

Sources

  1. tehrantimes.com/news/507174/Central-bank-approves-regulatory-framework-for-cryptocurr
  2. maint.loc.gov/law/help/cryptocurrency/iran.php
  3. trmlabs.com/resources/blog/irans-crypto-economy-in-2025-declining-volumes-rising-
  4. trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-sanctions-crypto-addresses-associated-with-the-ce
  5. chainalysis.com/blog/central-bank-of-iran-designation-ofac-update-april-2026/
  6. ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/iran-sanctions
  7. cbdctracker.hrf.org/currency/iran
  8. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency_in_Iran
  9. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_currency_law_in_Iran
  10. ainfp.org/are-crypto-payments-allowed-in-iran-the-2026-reality-of-bans-mining-a
  11. coindesk.com/business/2026/01/21/iran-s-central-bank-bought-usd507-million-usdt-to
  12. cbdctracker.org/currency/iran-digital_rial

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026