Eggs, sperm and wombs for sale on Iran's reproductive black market
A widespread network of brokers online are working to facilitate a trade in eggs, sperm, embryos and surrogate wombs, Iranian newspaper Ham-Mihan reported in an investigation.
A widespread network of brokers online are working to facilitate a trade in eggs, sperm, embryos and surrogate wombs, Iranian newspaper Ham-Mihan reported in an investigation.
The report on Wednesday details how the transactions are advertised using coded language such as "work from home" on platforms like Divar - a popular Iranian online classifieds site - Instagram and Telegram.
Iran's lack of a clear legal framework governing the donation of reproductive cells and embryos has allowed the brokers to flourish, with some even collaborating directly with doctors.
The advertisements primarily target young adults aged 18 to 31, with varying prices, Ham-Mihan added. Surrogacy typically costs between 3 and 4 billion rials (approximately $3,750 to $5,000), plus an additional 90 million rials (less than $110) paid monthly to the surrogate until delivery.
In May, Tejarat News, another Iranian news outlet, reported a wider range for surrogacy costs, from 4 to 9 billion rials (roughly $5,000 to $11,000). Citing a gynecologist and a maternity ward nurse, it reported that individuals born in the 1990s are the most common surrogates.
Ham-Mihan reported that sellers are required to provide a physician-certified ultrasound confirming the size and reserve of each ovary, along with a certified copy of their national identity card obtained through a designated notary public.
For married donors written spousal consent is mandatory, while unmarried donors must provide a divorce or death certificate. A psychiatric evaluation is also required for all donors.
Zahra Ahmadi, director of social work at the Royan Infertility Treatment Center, a leading facility in Iran, told Ham-Mihan that brokers and intermediaries profit from the unregulated market.
She emphasized that donors can bypass these intermediaries by contacting the Royan Center directly for anonymous donations, dealing directly with the center rather than individual recipients. Ahmadi added that direct egg donors at Royan receive 160 million rials (about $200) per donation under a formal contract.
The report by Ham-Mihan also connects this trade to a broader trend of organ selling in Iran, which has sharply increased in recent years, even involving buyers in neighboring countries.
In June 2023, Hossein Biglari, head of the Kermanshah Kidney Patients Support Association, reported that kidneys were being sold in the province for negotiated prices between 2.5 billion rials (approximately $3,000 at current exchange rates).
Iranian media reports over the past two years have documented the growing prevalence of advertisements for liver, bone marrow, and cornea transplants, as well as sperm and egg donations appearing publicly alongside the sale of kidneys. Some advertisements even offer hearts for sale.
In May 2023, the Jahan-e-Sanat daily reported that some brokers facilitate the sale of organs in neighboring countries like the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iraq, fetching prices between of up to $15,000 for sellers.
Iran's potential interest in nuclear weapons has come into focus days ahead of the return to the White House of Donald Trump, who has vowed to deny Tehran a bomb.
Responding to parliamentary discussions on nuclear weapons, Eslami said, "Parliament members express their own views, but decisions regarding the nuclear doctrine are made at the highest levels of the system and by the relevant authorities."
Eslami added that Iran’s nuclear program operates within its established framework, with the Atomic Energy Organization overseeing technical aspects and the Foreign Ministry handling diplomatic negotiations.
Despite Eslami’s assurance of continuity, calls for a more aggressive nuclear posture have grown among influential lawmakers.
Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, proposed in November to escalate uranium enrichment and initiating nuclear weapon production in response to an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) censure resolution.
“Under current circumstances, Iran should first move toward increasing uranium enrichment, potentially raising the enrichment level to 70% or 80%. In the second phase, Iran should pursue nuclear weapon production,” Ardestani told Didban News in November.
Iran is currently stockpiling 60-percent enriched uranium, which can be quickly refined to the 90% threshold required for nuclear weapons. Estimates suggest Iran could achieve this level within weeks, but producing an operational warhead involves additional technological and logistical challenges.
Former AEOI chief Fereydoun Abbasi also addressed the nuclear issue last week, saying that Iran has long surpassed the stage of constructing nuclear weapons.
“We can enrich uranium to any level we desire,” Abbasi said, advocating for stockpiling enriched uranium in secure locations to bolster deterrence. He justified this approach by citing perceived threats from nuclear-armed states, including the US and Israel.
Fatwa and international scrutiny
President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s adherence to a peaceful nuclear policy last week, citing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s fatwa prohibiting nuclear weapons.
“The Islamic Republic has absolutely no intention of utilizing its nuclear capabilities for military purposes based on its ideological beliefs and a fatwa by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,” Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Britain’s ambassador to Tehran.
The fatwa has been a cornerstone of Iran’s nuclear doctrine for over two decades, though some experts note it could be revised. “The Leader’s opinion forbids this direction now, but opinions can change,” said nuclear engineer Mahmood-Reza Aghamiri.
A top foreign policy advisor to Khamenei said last year that Iran is capable of producing nuclear weapons and an existential threat could cause a rethink of the Supreme Leader's injunction against them.
"If the Islamic Republic of Iran faces an existential threat, we would have no choice but to adjust our military doctrine," former foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi said.
Meanwhile, concerns over Iran’s uranium enrichment activities have intensified. The International Atomic Energy Agency recently reported that Tehran is approaching weapons-grade enrichment levels, prompting European nations to question the absence of a credible civilian justification for its stockpiles.
Amid escalating domestic debates and mounting international scrutiny, Iran’s nuclear doctrine remains at a crossroads, with high-level decisions poised to determine its future trajectory and global implications.