Iran Accepts Crypto for Weapons Sales Amid Sanctions

Iran's Ministry of Defense Export Center, known as Mindex, has begun accepting cryptocurrency as payment for advanced weapons systems, marking a public shift toward digital assets in its international arms trade amid escalating global sanctions.

The policy, implemented over the past year and formalized since 2025, allows prospective buyers to settle contracts using digital currencies alongside barter arrangements or Iranian rials. Mindex, the official body handling Iran's overseas defense sales, operates a multilingual online portal that lists thousands of products, including ballistic missiles, drones, warships, tanks, rockets, short-range air defense systems, and small arms. The platform features a virtual chatbot to assist customers with inquiries on terms and compliance, and it assures visitors that sanctions pose no obstacle to fulfilling orders, with deliveries promised as soon as possible.

This approach emerges as Iran faces intensified restrictions from the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and United Nations. In August 2025, Britain, France, and Germany activated a UN mechanism to reinstate sanctions previously lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, targeting...