Russia’s Mir Cards to Be Introduced in Iran


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Moscow expects Mir cards to start working on Iranian territory in the near future, hoping to integrate the two countries’ payments systems as soon as possible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said.

"The issue of integration of the national payment systems is being discussed within a specialized mechanism of the bilateral intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation, as well as regular contacts between central bank heads. We assume that we will be able to solve all issues in this area in the near future," he said when asked when Mir cards would start working in Iran, TASS reported.

In April 2024, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the project to accept Mir cards in the Islamic republic had entered the implementation stage. In May 2022, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that the countries were negotiating the connection of national payment systems.

Mir cards are accepted in 12 countries, though in eight of them its operation is limited. Apart from Russia, Mir cards are accepted without restrictions in Abkhazia, Belarus, Cuba and South Ossetia.

Among countries planning to introduce the Russian card are Egypt, Mauritius and Myanmar, with another six countries ready to foster dialogue on its introduction, the report added.