Tehran says it will accept crypto payments for military exports

On the Iranian export portal, Mindex lists a product catalog and several payment options: cryptocurrencies, Iranian rials, and barter. The catalog includes systems typically classified as high-end military exports, such as ballistic missiles, drones, and air-defense equipment. The portal also claims sanctions will not interfere with fulfilling deals.

The shift toward digital payments fits a broader pattern for Tehran: crypto can work as an alternative rail when access to dollar payments and parts of the international banking system is restricted. Notably, crypto is used not only around defense contracts but also in grey-market oil export schemes.

In September 2025, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Iranian nationals and a network of companies in Hong Kong and the UAE that Washington described as part of a “shadow banking” operation. US authorities alleged that the infrastructure processed more than $100 million in crypto transfers tied to Iranian oil sales. The Treasury also said the ultimate beneficiaries included entities linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s defense establishment.

Similar workarounds have been associated with other sanctioned economies. A GNcrypto analysis describes how mining farms are being set up in Russia-controlled “shadow territories,” with the mined cryptocurrency used as an alternative revenue source and a payment channel, including for purchases of military-related goods. The move by Iran to accept crypto for weapons exports, taken alongside crypto-linked oil trade flows, underscores how digital assets are being folded into efforts to evade sanctions enforcement.