Reuters: The founder of Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex has ties to the Supreme Leader's family

According to a Reuters investigation, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, was founded by members of the Kharrazi family, who have close ties to Iran's supreme leadership. The investigation revealed that the exchange was created by brothers Ali and Mohammad Kharrazi, who previously used the surname "Aghamir" to conceal their connection to the Kharrazi family, which has long been closely linked to the core of Iranian politics, including historical ties to Ali Khamenei and his successors.

The report noted that Nobitex currently serves over 11 million users, dominates the Iranian crypto market, and continues to operate during conflicts between Iran and the United States and Israel, processing transactions even amid nationwide internet outages. Analysts stated that its trading volume during wartime exceeded $100 million, with significant amounts of funds flowing overseas.

Additionally, several on-chain analysis firms pointed out that the platform had processed transactions related to sanctioned entities, with estimated volumes ranging from $22 million to $366 million. Other data indicated that wallets associated with the Central Bank of Iran transferred hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto assets to Nobitex in 2025, believed to be used to evade financial sanctions. Nobitex, however, denied any connection to the government and stated that illegal transactions account for only a small portion of its overall business.