Iran's parliamentary research arm has quantified crypto mining's impact on the country's electricity supply. A report from the Majlis Research Center estimates that mining operations consume between 930 and 1,200 megawatts of electricity, representing roughly 14% of Iran's power deficit during peak summer months. Averaged across the full year, crypto mining accounts for about 6% of the national electricity shortfall.
Sustaining mining operations at this scale requires approximately 2 billion liters of diesel fuel annually, translating to a financial burden of roughly $1.5 billion on the national grid. Iran's state utility Tavanir has previously offered higher estimates, suggesting that 15-20% of the country's power deficits are linked to crypto mining operations. During major outages, illicit mining operations could be pulling as much as 2,400 megawatts from the grid.
The cost advantage for mining in Iran stems from heavily subsidized electricity rates. The cost of mining a single Bitcoin in Iran is estimated at around $1,300 per coin, compared to a global average of approximately $87,000.
Previous reports have documented connections between cryptocurrency mining operations and individuals linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Connected addresses reportedly received over $3 billion in crypto inflows during 2025. The US Treasury sanctioned Iran's BitBank in September 2026 for allegedly facilitating large Bitcoin transfers to the IRGC.
Iran's share of the global Bitcoin hashrate has fluctuated significantly. Estimates have ranged from 4.5% on the conservative end to as high as 10-15% in some analyses, though more recent tracking data suggests the figure has declined to around 0.84%.
The electricity consumed by mining operations directly reduces supply available for other uses, including air conditioning during periods of extreme heat, hospital operations, and industrial production.
