Did Iran really turn the Strait of Hormuz into a cryptocurrency toll booth?

After the ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran was announced in April 2026, a historic turning point occurred in the Strait of Hormuz.
This strait carries 20% of the world's oil transportation.
Iran officially announced that it has begun charging transit fees to fully loaded oil tankers passing through the strait.
The fee is $1 per barrel.
Payment methods include Bitcoin, stablecoins, or RMB.
Iranian National Security Council member Alaeddin Boroujerdi stated on national television: “We have collected 50B in transit fees from some ships; this demonstrates Iran’s strength.”
How does the system work?
A fully loaded VLCC supertanker carries about 2 million barrels of oil → Fee ≈ $2 million
IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) will review the ship’s owner, flag, and cargo.
If there is a connection to the US or Israel, passage is denied.
Empty tankers can pass for free.
Payments are received in cryptocurrency “within seconds.”
According to TRM Labs, this practice is equivalent to “state-level crypto sanctions evasion.”
What is the current situation?
Since the ceasefire, traffic through the strait has almost completely stopped.
On April 8, only one oil tanker passed.
Before the war, on February 27, there were 53 oil tankers = 21.5 million barrels/day.
What potential impacts could there be?
If traffic returns to pre-war levels: 21.5 million barrels/day × $2 = daily revenue of $21.5 million.
This amounts to about ( million per month, or $7.44 billion annually.
This figure is roughly 14% of Iran’s annual oil exports of $50-55 billion.
Bitcoin details:
A fee of ) million, calculated at BTC price of $72,000, is about 27.7 BTC.
In theory, if 130 ships pass daily, there would be a demand for 3,601 BTC per day.
However, as of April 11, 2026, the number of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz is fewer than five.
Conclusion
Iran’s actions are game changers in three ways:
Geopolitics: For the first time since the 1970s, the petrodollar system faces a direct challenge at the state level.
The demand for non-dollar transit fees is symbolic and also represents a structural shift.
Finance: If this system operates at full capacity, it could mean an additional $7.44 billion in annual revenue for Iran.
China’s CIPS payment system and cryptocurrencies are used together to bypass sanctions.
Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin has become the “toll” in international waters for the first time.
This narrative alone caused BTC to rise by 7%.
Did Iran really turn the Strait of Hormuz into a cryptocurrency toll booth?
For now, no — because traffic is at a standstill, so it hasn’t “earned 3,601 BTC daily.”
But if the faucet is turned on, both the oil and Bitcoin markets will enter a new era.
$1 ‌$645