Geopolitical Chaos Sends Iranian Crypto Flows Plummeting by Over 76%

Cryptocurrency trading in Iran has slowed dramatically in 2025. A mix of geopolitical tensions, cyberattacks, and stricter regulations has rattled the previously booming market.

According to blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs, total cryptocurrency inflows into Iran from January through July 2025 reached roughly $3.7 billion, an 11% decline from the same period in 2024.

The contraction was particularly pronounced after April, as June inflows plunged more than 50% year-over-year. This was followed by an even steeper drop of over 76% in July.

Hack, War, and Wallet Freezes

Several geopolitical and security events weighed heavily on Iranian crypto markets, such as stalled nuclear talks with Israel, the outbreak of an armed conflict in June, a $90 million breach at Nobitex, and Tether’s blacklisting of an important Iranian-linked stablecoin address.

According to the TRM report, these shocks together shifted trader behavior, prompting capital outflows to overseas exchanges and increased use of alternative blockchains and stablecoins.

Despite the turbulence, Nobitex maintained its central role in Iran’s crypto ecosystem and handled more than 87% of all Iranian-linked transaction volume in 2025. Of the over $3 billion processed through the platform, approximately $2 billion moved via the Tron network, with heavy use of TRC-20 USDT and TRX.

This concentration offered efficiency for users but also amplified systemic risk, as demonstrated when the Predatory Sparrow group exploited vulnerabilities in Nobitex’s infrastructure during the height of the Iran-Israel hostilities.

Dual Priorities

The $90 million hack froze liquidity, slowed transaction processing, and temporarily pushed users toward smaller or higher-risk platforms, revealing not only operational weaknesses but also the regime’s “dual priorities” of enabling warrantless surveillance while maintaining selective privacy for VIP users. TRM Labs traced on-chain activity to IRGC-linked actors and sanctioned entities such as Gaza Now, underscoring the political dimensions of the attack.

The geopolitical escalation in June accelerated capital flight from domestic exchanges, as seen with the surge in outflows from Nobitex by more than 150% in the week leading up to the conflict, often moving to global exchanges with limited Know Your Customer (KYC) measures or to high-risk, no-KYC platforms.

The exodus was exacerbated in July when Tether froze 42 Iranian-linked addresses, many of which were tied to Nobitex and an IRGC-affiliated actor. The freeze disrupted longstanding transactional flows, which led Iranian users to move to alternative stablecoins such as DAI on the Polygon network.

Domestic influencers, government-aligned channels, and exchanges actively encouraged this migration, demonstrating both the adaptability of participants and the regime’s use of digital assets to bypass sanctions.

Meanwhile, Iran’s domestic regulatory environment continued to shift, with the Law on Taxation of Speculation and Profiteering enacted in August 2025, which imposed capital gains tax on crypto trading. While phased implementation is expected, the measure points to Tehran’s intent to formally regulate digital asset markets by bringing cryptocurrencies alongside gold, real estate, and forex in the regime’s tax framework.

Beyond capital markets, crypto remains a critical tool for Iran in procurement and sanctions evasion. Chinese resellers, for instance, supply drone components, AI hardware, and electrical equipment through crypto transactions, and a sophisticated underground KYC bypass industry supports these operations by providing forged identification documents for onboarding to international exchanges.