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Iran: New Crypto Law Requires Selling Bitcoin Directly to Central Bank to Fund Imports

Gold-plated souvenir Bitcoins. (AFP)
Gold-plated souvenir Bitcoins. (AFP)
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Iran: New Crypto Law Requires Selling Bitcoin Directly to Central Bank to Fund Imports

Gold-plated souvenir Bitcoins. (AFP)
Gold-plated souvenir Bitcoins. (AFP)

Iran has resorted to a new crypto currency regulation that required licensing bitcoin miners to sell their coins directly to the Central Bank for use to fund imports.

Reports published by bitcoins.com said the Iranian government has amended its crypto currency regulation to enable the country’s central bank to fund imports with bitcoin legally mined in the country.

Also, the IRNA news agency reported that the government has introduced those regulations in order to allow crypto miners to redirect their coins to the country’s finance mechanism for international trades.

“The Ministry of Energy is tasked with defining a ceiling for output of authorized crypto units subject to the energy consumed by each unit. Miners’ output should not exceed the ceiling,” the news agency wrote, adding that the central bank will soon announce details of the new law.

Meanwhile, the Mehr news agency quoted Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, deputy head of Iran’s Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Company (Tavanir) and the spokesperson for the power industry, as saying: “These crypto currencies can be exchanged according to the regulations set by the central bank.”

Presstv, an Iranian state-owned news network, said that miners are supposed to supply the original crypto currency directly and within the authorized limit to the channels introduced by the central bank.

“The legal cap for the amount of crypto currency for each miner would be determined by the level of the subsidized energy used for mining and based on instructions published by the Ministry of the Energy,” it said.

Crypto currency analyst Alireza Shamkhi told ISNA news agency that the new law is vague and ambiguous.

He said it does not state how the central bank will price crypto currencies or the exchange rate between dollars and rials.

Previously, miners could exchange their crypto currencies for dollars, rials or other currencies at market prices.

“The requirement for miners to report their output to the central bank is not seen in other industries, concluding that the new law will likely reduce the industry’s attractiveness and significantly lower miners’ profit margin,” said Shamkhi.

Iran has issued over 1,000 licenses to crypto miners, including one to the Turkish bitcoin mining giant Iminer.

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World

Nepal Warns of Climate Threat After Deadly Floods

A disaster rescue personnel looks on at the site of damaged buildings in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 29, 2026. (AFP)
A disaster rescue personnel looks on at the site of damaged buildings in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 29, 2026. (AFP)
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Nepal Warns of Climate Threat After Deadly Floods

A disaster rescue personnel looks on at the site of damaged buildings in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 29, 2026. (AFP)
A disaster rescue personnel looks on at the site of damaged buildings in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 29, 2026. (AFP)

Nepal's foreign minister warned on Saturday of the growing threat from climate change in the Himalayas, as China offered water and satellite data after devastating floods on their shared border killed hundreds.

The US Geological Survey said the disaster on Wednesday near the high-altitude China-Nepal border was caused by a glacial collapse that sent a torrent of debris downstream, with nearly 3,000 people missing and 682 confirmed dead.

While the exact cause of the collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risks of such disasters.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said he had spoken by phone with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, agreeing to increase the sharing of "real-time hydrological data", according to a statement.

Wang, in a Chinese foreign ministry statement, said Beijing had "shared crucial information with Nepal, including disaster area imagery, satellite and hydrological data, as well as early warnings about upstream barrier lakes".

Wang added that "China and Nepal are bound by mountains and rivers, sharing a common destiny".

Khanal had earlier told reporters on Saturday that Nepal needed greater research to "understand the changing dynamics of the Himalayan ecosystem" and the risks they pose to the landlocked country, encircled by India and China.

That includes not only risks "to Nepal and the downstream community, but also to our northern neighbor, to China, as well," Khanal said.

Himalayan glaciers, which provide critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster as the planet heats, exposing communities to unpredictable, costly disasters.

Khanal said climate change required international action.

"We always highlight that Nepal contributes less than or just about 0.01 percent of greenhouse gases but we, the people of Nepal, are one of the major victims of the changing climate and its impact," he added.

"So we request the global community also to come together to preserve the Himalayan ecosystem."

Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost can also destabilize mountain slopes, increasing the risk of landslides and other hazards.

World

Türkiye Summons Ukraine Ambassador Over Black Sea Attacks

Smoke rises from a civilian vessel on fire, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from a civilian vessel on fire, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Summons Ukraine Ambassador Over Black Sea Attacks

Smoke rises from a civilian vessel on fire, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from a civilian vessel on fire, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Türkiye summoned Ukraine's ambassador over attacks this week in the Black Sea against a Turkish vessel, and against a second ship that came to tow the first, the country's foreign ministry said Saturday.

The attacks happened on Wednesday and Thursday, the ministry told AFP.

"During the meeting, Türkiye warned about the absolute need to ensure the safety of people, of assets, of navigation and of the environment in the Black Sea," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the Turkish container ship Lider Bordo Mavi was hit on Wednesday while it was off the Russian coast on the Black Sea. The next day, the ship Lider Kocatepe sent to tow the cargo vessel was also targeted, the ministry said.

The ministry did not say whether there were any casualties in the attacks.

According to local Turkish media, the container ship was towed to the Turkish port of Samsun.

Ankara has been calling for weeks on Ukraine and Russia to suspend their attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea. Each of the warring countries has been seeking to damage the other's sources of export revenues as part of their conflict, which Russia started in 2022 with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Turkish commercial ships are active in the Black Sea, sailing under various countries' flags, and several have been hit by drones suspected to be launched by Ukraine.

Türkiye, a NATO member country that maintains relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has not joined Western sanctions levelled against Russia.

On August 8, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for a "moratorium" on Black Sea attacks.

"The conflict has spread across the whole Black Sea," he said at the time, complaining that "they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction".

World

French Far-Right Accuses Left of Threatening ‘Civil Peace’ if Le Pen Wins

French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, attends a debate with other candidates for the 2027 French presidential election during the MEDEF summer forum "La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, La REF" in Paris, France, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, attends a debate with other candidates for the 2027 French presidential election during the MEDEF summer forum "La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, La REF" in Paris, France, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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French Far-Right Accuses Left of Threatening ‘Civil Peace’ if Le Pen Wins

French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, attends a debate with other candidates for the 2027 French presidential election during the MEDEF summer forum "La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, La REF" in Paris, France, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, attends a debate with other candidates for the 2027 French presidential election during the MEDEF summer forum "La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, La REF" in Paris, France, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)

The French far-right on Saturday accused the left of seeking to "undermine civil peace" should Marine Le Pen win the presidential election next spring, underscoring the increasingly confrontational tone of the campaign.

With less than eight months to go before France's presidential election, far-right leader Le Pen, 58, remains the front-runner in the polls.

Analysts say that the appeal of political extremes is growing in France, and recent surveys show that hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, 75, may have the best chance of reaching the run-off against Le Pen.

Speaking at an agricultural fair in the northeastern town of Chalons-en-Champagne, Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally (RN) party and Le Pen's prospective prime minister in the event of her victory, said he was concerned by calls from the left for "civil disobedience" if the RN comes to power.

Bardella, 30, said they amounted to "an admission of weakness from the left, which hates democracy and is calling into question the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the electoral process."

"The attitude of France Unbowed at the start of this campaign is deeply worrying," said Bardella.

"They are already seeking to undermine civil peace in our country."

Mathilde Panot, leader of the LFI parliamentary group in parliament's lower house, and Greens leader Marine Tondelier have recently said they would support "civil disobedience" in the event of an RN victory.

Some observers say the election campaign is increasingly at risk of becoming a contest dominated by populist anti-establishment forces, raising concern among investors about the prospect of a presidential runoff between the far right and the hard left.

Bardella said he was concerned about Melenchon's "true intentions."

During a first presidential debate on Thursday, Melenchon vowed to "disobey" European decisions that contradict the wishes of French voters and pressed ahead with his proposals to cancel a chunk of France's public debt.

"France Unbowed and Monsieur Melenchon do not want to win this presidential election," said Bardella.

"They do not want to protect institutions, they want to destroy them."