Iran blocks local blockchain association, reports say

The Iranian Ministry of Interior blocked the Iranian Blockchain Association (IBA)’s activities.

The Social Affairs Organization (SAO) demanded a report on the association’s financial performance and its dealings with crypto exchanges, but did not receive documents.

IBA spokesman Sepehr Mohammadi said that no oral or written notice had been given to the board of directors. In his view, the reason for the block was the organisation’s publication of a list of high-risk Iranian companies linked to cryptocurrencies.

In an open letter to the SAO, Mohammadi emphasised that the IBA’s remit includes monitoring the performance of ecosystem participants, and issuing and publishing warnings for new users.

The Iranian Blockchain Association was founded in 2017 as a non-profit, self-governing body of entrepreneurs, experts, professionals and developers of the technology.

In January, Iranian authorities shut down 1,620 illegal mining farms and confiscated 45,000 devices for mining Bitcoin.

In May, the country fully banned cryptocurrency mining until the end of the summer of 2021.

In June, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for the creation of a regulatory framework for digital assets.

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