Iran Accepting Crypto Payments for Weapons—But This May Not Help It Evade Sanctions
Iran’s Mindex website offers military equipment for purchase, with its FAQ now saying that buyers can contract to pay in crypto.
In brief
- The website for Iran’s Ministry of Defence Export Center (Mindex) has been updated to say that it would accept payment for military equipment in crypto.
- Iran has been a big adopter of crypto for the evasion of sanctions, but some experts suggest that the Mindex website may not facilitate that much trade using cryptocurrencies.
- While crypto may help provide alternative means of payment, experts also argue that it can make identification and designation of illicit flows more straightforward.
Iran has begun accepting crypto as payment in its sales of advanced weapons, as part of ongoing efforts to evade international sanctions.
Mindex, Iran’s Ministry of Defence Export Center, has updated the FAQ on its website to state that accepted payment methods include “the cryptocurrency agreed upon in the contract.”
Products for sale via Mindex include rockets, aircraft, tanks and boats, as well as guns, ammunition, data services, and communication equipment.
Iran has been accused of supplying weapons to Russia in recent years, as well as to groups that have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States (e.g. Hezbollah and the Houthis).
It has been sanctioned by the United States to varying degrees since 1979, while the United Kingdom, France and Germany renewed sanctions related to nuclear proliferation activities in August 2025.
Iran’s apparent embrace of crypto was first reported by the Financial Times, which describes the move as the first example of a nation-state accepting cryptocurrency as payment for military goods and services.
However, some security commentators are skeptical that Iran will receive significant sums of crypto via the Mindex website, which TRM Labs’ Ari Redbord suggests may have been mischaracterized as a transactional platform.
Speaking to Decrypt, Redbord said that he wouldn’t agree with any claim that “a heavily sanctioned nation-state is openly marketing ballistic missiles, drones, warships, and other strategic systems through a public website—essentially an Amazon-style storefront for Iranian weapons.”
Any such claim raises red flags for Redbord, largely because website-based sales are “simply not how sovereign arms transfers” are generally carried out.
Redbord has reviewed the Mindex website, and while he affirms that it does appear to be a legitimate state-linked marketing site, he highlights the lack of prices, quantities, delivery timelines and logistical details.