Iranian Courts Order Return of Thousands of Seized Crypto Mining Machines: Reports

Courts in Iran have ordered the government to return thousands of seized crypto mining rigs, local media reported in the past week.

In 2021, Iranian authorities banned mining and seized related equipment to deal with power shortages. Last year, the power utility, Tavanir, also clamped down on illegal crypto mining farms as power demand climbed during the summer, according to the reports. The utility has closed 7,200 illegal crypto mining centers and seized more than 250,000 mining computers.

About 150,000 pieces of crypto mining equipment are held by the Organization for Collection and Sale of State-Owned Property, a large part of which will be released following the judicial rulings, the reports said, citing the organization's head, Abdolmajid Eshtehadi. Some have already been returned.

Tavanir "should propose new plans in order to make use of [the remaining] hardware, without causing damage to the national grid," Eshtehadi said.

Read more: Inside Iran's Onslaught on Bitcoin Mining