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3. Iran Markets Advanced Weapons Systems for Crypto - FT

Iran’s official defense export agency is offering to sell ballistic missiles, drones, and other advanced weapons systems to foreign governments in exchange for cryptocurrency and barter, Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The Ministry of Defence Export Center (Mindex) is the export arm of Iran’s defense ministry. The site offers more than 3,000 products, including armaments, rockets and missiles, aviation, marine platforms, and radar and optical systems.

The portal’s payment terms say contracts can be settled using “digital currencies,” local currencies in the buyer’s country and barter arrangements, and more traditional bank transfers.

Mindex’s online platform is hosted on an Iranian cloud provider that is blacklisted by Washington. It claims to work with foreign clients and has decades of experience in international sales.

A frequently asked questions section says that “given the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding circumvention of sanctions, there is no problem in implementing the contract,” and promises that purchased products will reach their destination “as soon as possible,” FT reported.

According to its “About Us” page, Mindex launched its marketing activities in 1989 and says it is affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2007 for its role in missile and conventional weapons programs.

Recent U.S. Sanctions

U.S. sanctions designations have targeted Iran‑linked “shadow banking” and crypto networks accused of helping Tehran move money for oil and weapons sales outside formal banking channels. 

In recent months, the U.S. Treasury Deparment has sanctioned multiple Iran‑linked networks accused of using front companies and alternative payment channels to facilitate weapons transfers to countries such as Russia and Venezuela, warning that digital currencies do not shield transactions from enforcement.