Iran crypto strategy: How users bypass restrictions and trade crypto despite bans
When a country bans cryptocurrency, people don’t stop using it—they find ways around it. That’s the Iran crypto strategy, a grassroots system of peer-to-peer trading, encrypted networks, and informal exchanges built to circumvent state control. Also known as crypto resistance in Iran, this isn’t about speculation—it’s about keeping money safe from inflation and sanctions. With the Iranian rial losing value every year, Bitcoin and USDT became the only stable store of value for millions. Unlike in countries where crypto is a luxury, in Iran it’s a necessity.
This strategy relies on three core pieces: P2P crypto Iran, direct person-to-person trades using local payment methods like bank transfers and mobile wallets. Also known as Iranian crypto OTC, it avoids regulated exchanges entirely. Then there’s crypto ban Iran, the government’s effort to block access to global platforms like Binance and Bybit. Also known as Iranian internet censorship, it forces users to rely on VPNs and proxy services to even reach trading sites. And finally, there’s crypto regulations Iran, the confusing mix of official bans and unofficial tolerance—where the state arrests traders but still mines Bitcoin with state-run facilities. Also known as dual-track crypto policy, it creates a dangerous gray zone where legality depends on who you are and how loud you are. This isn’t policy—it’s survival.
What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t theory. It’s real cases: how Nigerians use P2P to survive inflation, how Chinese traders risk jail using VPNs, how Iranian users quietly trade USDT on Telegram groups, and why platforms like Binance and YellowCard became lifelines—not just exchanges. You’ll see how people avoid scams pretending to be official Iranian crypto services, and why no legitimate exchange operates openly inside the country. This is the underground economy of crypto, shaped not by investors, but by people who need to feed their families.