Authorities in Iran are warning of the strain that unauthorised cryptocurrency mining operations are putting on the country’s electricity grid.

According to a Telegram post on Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency’s main channel, the country’s deputy Minister of Energy, Mostafa Mashhadi, expressed frustration about the problem.

In an interview with Fars, he said Iran has “plans in place” to identify and shut down illegal crypto mining operations. Mr Mashhadi also pointed out that authorities routinely offer rewards for tips about illegal mining operations.

Cryptocurrency mining is broadly defined as the process by which digital assets are obtained, most famously initiated and standardised by Bitcoin. The digital assets are secured…