Iran has begun accepting cryptocurrency payments for advanced weapons systems as part of efforts to work around international sanctions.
The move was disclosed on a government-linked website tied to the country’s defence export infrastructure.
The payment option is being offered through Mindex, the export centre of Iran’s Ministry of Defence.
Mindex is responsible for managing and promoting Iran’s overseas military and defence sales.
According to the website, cryptocurrency now sits alongside Iranian rials and barter arrangements as accepted payment methods.
Prospective buyers are offered access to military hardware including missiles, tanks, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The platform does not display public pricing information for any of the listed weapons systems.
Mindex claims it currently has defence clients operating across 35 different countries.
The development marks one of the first known cases of a state openly accepting crypto for military equipment.
The move was first reported by the Financial Times.
Analysts say the use of crypto provides sanctioned states with alternative financial rails outside traditional banking systems.
Digital assets allow cross-border transactions without reliance on Western-controlled payment networks.
Iran has faced long-standing restrictions on access to global financial markets due to sanctions.
Those sanctions target Iran’s banking, energy, and defence sectors.
The use of crypto for sanctioned transactions is already well established in other contexts.
In early 2025, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis released data on crypto flows into sanctioned jurisdictions.
The report found that US-sanctioned countries received nearly $16 billion in digital assets during the previous year.
That figure highlighted the growing role of crypto in bypassing traditional enforcement mechanisms.
Iran has increasingly explored digital finance as part of broader economic survival strategies.
The country has previously experimented with crypto mining and regulated digital asset frameworks.
Sanctions pressure on Iran intensified again in 2025.
This followed the reimposition of restrictions previously lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
The sanctions relate directly to concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Oversight and enforcement are coordinated through multilateral institutions including the United Nations.
Defence analysts warn that crypto-based arms sales could complicate monitoring of weapons proliferation.
Digital payments reduce transparency around buyers, sellers, and transaction routes.
Western governments have repeatedly raised concerns over illicit crypto use.
The Iranian move may accelerate calls for tighter global regulation of digital asset transactions.
It also signals how state actors are adapting crypto tools for strategic and military purposes.