Hemmati: US Sanctions on Iranian Crypto Exchanges Are "Publicity Fodder"

Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said on Saturday, August 8, 2026 (17 Mordad 1405), that recent US Treasury sanctions on Iranian crypto exchanges are American "publicity fodder" and have no connection to the central bank. According to Ecoiran, citing Hamshahri Online, the US Treasury sanctioned another Iranian crypto exchange the same day, following its sanctioning of four Iranian crypto exchanges about two months earlier over alleged assistance in circumventing sanctions through ties to the central bank. Hemmati said the funds involved are "in our own hands and we are using them," adding that Iran has supplied more foreign currency this year than in the same period last year.