Iran has begun openly accepting cryptocurrency as a payment method for overseas sales of advanced weapons systems, a move that could mark a significant shift in how state‑level arms deals are conducted and how heavily sanctioned countries operate in global markets.
According to multiple reports, the Ministry of Defence Export Center, often referred to as Mindex, is now offering foreign governments the option to settle contracts for military hardware using digital currencies alongside barter arrangements or Iran’s national currency, the rial. The policy appears to have been in place for roughly a year but has only now been publicly confirmed in defence export materials.
Iran’s weapons catalogue available for export includes ballistic missiles, combat drones such as the Shahed series, warships, and sophisticated air defence systems, all of which may now be purchased using cryptocurrencies. The accepting of digital assets is widely interpreted as a strategy to bypass Western financial sanctions that restrict Tehran’s access to the global banking system.
The Financial Times and other outlets note that Mindex advertises military products on an online portal hosted on Iranian infrastructure, stating contracts can proceed “regardless of sanctions.” The centre claims established relationships with several dozen foreign buyers, though details of specific countries and transaction volumes remain undisclosed.
This development comes amid a broader pattern of sanctioned nations turning to digital currencies to maintain trade flows outside traditional banking networks. In recent years, U.S. enforcement agencies have targeted crypto‑linked financial networks tied to Iranian state actors, warning that parties engaging in such transactions risk secondary sanctions and other penalties.
International security analysts say that Iran’s willingness to accept crypto for strategic military equipment represents one of the most visible cases to date of a nation‑state leveraging decentralized digital assets in sensitive arms transactions, potentially reshaping how sanctions are dodged and raising new regulatory and geopolitical challenges.
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