Iran internet blackout likely causes only short-term, localized Bitcoin mining impact

Beincrypto reports Iran’s near-total internet blackout today amid anti-government protests has raised questions about the country’s role in Bitcoin mining.

Iran contributes an estimated low-single-digit percentage of global Bitcoin hashrate, down sharply from its 2021 peak, and cheap subsidized energy and sanctions have pushed parts of the industry underground. Most industrial mining farms rely on stable power and intermittent connectivity rather than continuous high-bandwidth internet: blocks propagate globally about every ten minutes, so miners can often continue operating with limited access. Prolonged or unstable connectivity would raise operational costs by complicating pool coordination, delaying firmware updates and payouts, and increasing downtime risk for smaller or illicit miners.

Even a full Iranian outage would likely remove less than 5% of global hashrate and Bitcoin difficulty adjusts automatically, so the network would absorb the shock. If unrest spreads and energy rationing resumes, Iran-based miners could face sustained shutdowns that modestly tighten hashpower but would not destabilize the chain. The episode is therefore more symbolic than structural, underscoring mining’s ongoing shift toward regulated, energy-rich jurisdictions and the longer-term risks tied to energy policy, geopolitics and miners’ ability to adapt.

Key Topics

Crypto, Iran, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Mining, Hashrate, Internet Blackout