Iran Energy Crisis and Crypto: How Power Shortages Shape Crypto Mining and Regulation

When the Iran energy crisis, a prolonged shortage of electricity caused by aging infrastructure, sanctions, and mismanagement hits, Iranians don’t just turn off their lights—they turn on their mining rigs. Crypto mining became a survival tactic for many, using cheap or stolen power to run hardware and earn Bitcoin. But the government didn’t sit back. Instead, it cracked down, banned private mining, and launched its own state-controlled digital currency, turning the crypto regulation Iran, a strict system where the state monitors all crypto transactions and limits stablecoin use into a tool of economic control. This isn’t just about power—it’s about who controls money in a country under pressure.

The Iranian crypto mining, the underground operation of cryptocurrency hardware using unofficial electricity sources thrives in basements and warehouses, often powered by grid-tapped lines or black-market diesel generators. Miners risk fines or jail, but with inflation hitting 40% and the rial collapsing, Bitcoin offers a lifeline. At the same time, the government runs its own mining farms, using state electricity to produce digital assets for foreign trade and sanctions evasion. This duality—private miners hunted, state miners protected—shows how crypto in Iran isn’t about freedom. It’s about power. And the Iran digital currency, a centralized, trackable electronic rial designed to replace cash and crypto is the state’s answer: total control over every transaction, no anonymity, no escape.

What you’ll find in these posts isn’t theory. It’s real stories: how Iranians bypass bans with P2P trades, why exchanges like Forteswap vanish overnight, and how the SEC vs CFTC battle in the U.S. mirrors Iran’s own fight over who owns crypto. You’ll see how mining exodus from China reshaped global networks—and how Iran became a case study in state-led crypto suppression. These aren’t abstract policies. They’re daily realities for people trading crypto to feed their families. Below, you’ll get clear, no-fluff breakdowns of what’s legal, what’s dangerous, and what’s really happening on the ground in Iran—and why it matters for anyone using crypto under pressure.