The Iran Watcher 🇮🇷@TheIranWatcher
Iran keeps telling people to turn off their lights - while the regime burns electricity to mine Bitcoin.
Pezeshkian just told Iranians to switch off 8 out of 10 lights at home, yet the Islamic Republic is using subsidized power for LARGE-SCALE CRYPTO MINING tied to the IRGC and regime insiders.
That contrast explains the system.
After 2018 sanctions, the regime legalized Bitcoin mining and turned ULTRA-CHEAP ELECTRICITY into a workaround:
⚪️ Mine Bitcoin
⚪️ Sell it to the Central Bank
⚪️ Convert it into hard currency
⚪️ Bypass SWIFT
Iran became a major mining hub, consuming up to 2 GW OF POWER at peak, much of it tied to IRGC-linked networks.
Chinese firms also moved in, often paying even less than Iranian miners. A 175 MW project in Rafsanjan, tied to military-linked entities, received preferential access in free zones, effectively selling subsidized energy to foreign operators while locals faced shortages.
The cost shows up fast.
Rolling blackouts now hit regularly:
⚪️ 3–4 HOURS DAILY
⚪️ Hospitals on generators
⚪️ Factories shut down
⚪️ Families without cooling or refrigeration
Officials blame citizens and “illegal miners,” but many large operations run with permits, dedicated lines, or direct protection while the grid absorbs the strain.
This is the tradeoff.
Mining one Bitcoin can use as much electricity as THOUSANDS OF HOUSEHOLDS, yet priority goes to digital assets over basic needs.
Crypto gave the regime a sanctions workaround through Bitcoin, USDT on Tron, and other networks, enabling fast, borderless transfers that were harder to freeze.
By 2026, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS moved through these channels, funding imports, proxies, and elite accounts.
But that advantage is shrinking.
In April 2026, the U.S. Treasury, working with Tether, froze $344 MILLION IN USDT tied to IRGC and Central Bank activity, showing these flows are no longer untouchable.
The contradiction is clear.
A system that attacks the West relies on WESTERN TECHNOLOGY, restricts ordinary Iranians from using it freely, and protects connected operations draining the national grid.
This is not just policy.
It is resource allocation to fatten the pockets of regime insiders.
Cheap energy is being redirected away from homes and industry into a system that benefits a small group while the public carries the cost.
Iran’s message is to use less electricity.
The reality is that more is being used than ever, just not for them.
