Iran Clamps Down on Crypto Trading Hours Following Pro-Israel Cyberattack on Major Exchange

Iran slashes crypto trading window after hackers—allegedly backing Israel—cripple top exchange.

Digital Siege:
Tehran tightens the screws on crypto markets as geopolitical tensions spill into blockchain battlegrounds. The move comes after a brazen cyberattack paralyzed Iran's largest exchange, with digital fingerprints pointing to pro-Israel actors.

Trading Curfew:
New restrictions force exchanges to operate within government-mandated hours, effectively creating a crypto blackout period. Critics call it economic self-sabotage—because nothing says 'financial sovereignty' like limiting access to borderless money.

Hack Fallout:
The attack exposes vulnerabilities in Iran's crypto infrastructure, just as citizens increasingly turn to digital assets to bypass sanctions. Meanwhile, Bitcoin barely flinches—because when has geopolitical chaos ever hurt crypto prices?

Experts See Political Message in Nobitex Hack

Cybersecurity firms say the stolen funds were not moved for profit. Instead, the attackers “burned” the crypto by sending it to wallet addresses with no known private keys, effectively destroying the assets.

Several of those wallet addresses included slurs against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Analysts say this suggests the hack was politically motivated, not financially.

Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic confirmed that more than $90m had been siphoned from Nobitex and traced to these burner wallets. Chainalysis added that the incident fits a pattern of cyberattacks coinciding with spikes in tensions between Israel and Iran.

Hack Spurs Iran to Clamp Down on Crypto Sector Key to Bypassing Sanctions

Predatory Sparrow has launched similar cyber operations against Iranian infrastructure in the past. Israeli media widely believe the group is linked to Israel’s military or intelligence agencies. However, there has been no official confirmation of its affiliations.

The fallout from the hack has cast a spotlight on Iran’s dependence on crypto as a tool to skirt international sanctions.

Exchanges like Nobitex let users trade outside the global banking system. As a result, they have become essential for countries facing sanctions. However, this also makes them highly vulnerable in today’s tense geopolitical climate.

By limiting crypto trading to daytime hours, Iranian authorities aim to tighten control over the sector. This sector has become increasingly vital to the country’s financial survival. However, the curfew is unlikely to fully prevent future cyberattacks. Still, it signals a growing sense of urgency as Tehran scrambles to protect its fragile digital economy.