Iran Closes More Illegal Crypto Mining Operations, Totaling Over 5,300

Honestly, shutting down the mining machines doesn’t seem like the right fix. I had no idea Iran was using hydroelectric power for electricity. The government’s harsh stance on miners is likely due to them not getting the right licenses, which involves paying certain fees and taxes. This has definitely led to some miners trying to dodge those payments. The debate around how hydroelectric power supply can get affected by weather during the rainy season, along with unauthorized miners not paying dues, continues to be a hot topic. If these miners had just taken care of the licensing fees, power supply wouldn’t be such a big issue. Plus, other businesses use way more electricity than just crypto mining. I really disagree with this move. It undermines the effort and production capacity of miners. It’s also disheartening for newcomers who are just starting out. Instead, the government could set up a regulatory framework that works for both mining companies and individuals, maybe with a yearly plan or some kind of MoU with private parties.

Isn't crypto currency a way Iran could circumvent international sanctions? It doesn't seem like a very good move on their part.

I kind of wonder about those "216,000 Mining Units" vs  "5,300 illegal mining facilities" That is on average 40 units per farm. But how many were 400 unit facilities and how many were 2 miners in someone's back room? If I had a GPU rig with 8 cards did they count that as 1 unit or 8? Were they new S19 or old S9? Without a lot more information it's an interesting news story but not much else can be gathered from it. It's also a way for people go get funds to get around the rules of an oppressive government. -Dave

Do you know what illegal means? Those miners are sucking free electricity through mining, this is like stealing from the government pocket which of cos they have every right to seize their rigs, I don't use grid for mining I only use solar panels and I'm proud of that decision

you sir are correct.  All power thieves in Iran need their gear to be taken and destroyed . They could also have both pinkies severed so the public would know the theft they did  steal power for mining.

I would think that the ratio would be 1 large farm and one thousand home miners. Once you go over 100 units (we're talking asics), I doubt you'll be able to hide that even while claiming your activity is something else, the 24/7 linear consumption is a clear giveaway. And the same stands for small miners that think with 1-2 units they won't get detected mining at home, 1 s9 burns 900kwh a month the median in Iran is 300, they would be picking them up faster than finding Waldo. But did you see this:? Who the hell would be mining legally there? Again with this, Iran could be using anything to avoid sanctions, it's that companies don't want to deal with a country under sanction so Boeing won't sell them planes no matter what they use, rials, bitcoin, coal, or cow dung, at the same time some Chinese companies could accept anything dollars or rubles or rupiah or cow dung as they are not afraid of being cut from the western world since they don't deal with those in the first place.

We cannot verify the accuracy of the news that comes from Iran and is often accompanied by some inaccurate political analysis, but there is something you must understand.  - Iran has alternative ways to avoid sanctions, so there is no reason to use Bitcoin, especially with the heat wave and the increased demand for energy.  - Iran has a problem in providing sufficient energy resources and therefore there will be no large-scale mining (if it exists at all) From here, I can conclude that the author of the article used the real news, which is the energy problem in Iran, with the most buzzing news in the energy world (energy-intensive bitcoin consumption) and we got the above news. "I apologise to our dear people who have faced problems and suffering in the past few days and I urge them to co-operate [by cutting their electricity use]. People complain about power outages and they are right," Mr Rouhani said. Source ---> https://twitter.com/hassanrouhani?lang=en

I wouldn't be surprised if these machines were not confiscated instead of being destroyed and will be used by the government. This would not be the first time Iran has cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions and conduct other illicit activities. Very hard to prove publicly and with the control on the media seems like it would be very easy to pull off.