#Gate广场四月发帖挑战 The major positive news continues to ferment, Bitcoin surges strongly, and cryptocurrencies usher in a historic breakthrough!

Today’s market:
The major positive news continues to ferment, Bitcoin surges strongly, and cryptocurrencies usher in a historic breakthrough!
Recently, the significant positive developments from the Middle East situation have continued to ferment, with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies significantly strengthening, and market enthusiasm soaring. This event not only propelled Bitcoin to rapidly rise from below $70k to above $74k but also truly demonstrated the potential of cryptocurrencies as an independent payment tool.
Event core: Iran’s Hormuz Strait transit fees paid in cryptocurrency a few days ago, when this news first appeared, the market reaction was relatively mild. But as details were confirmed, especially last night when Bitcoin suddenly gained momentum, rising straight from the $70k level to over $74k, with a slight pullback on the morning of April 14, it still remains above the $74k mark.
According to reports from multiple mainstream media outlets (including The Financial Times, Bloomberg, etc.), during the ceasefire period related to the US and Iran, Iran required oil tankers passing through the Hormuz Strait to pay transit fees based on the amount of oil carried, with a fee of about $1 per barrel of crude oil, and empty ships free of charge. Ships need to report cargo information via email, Iran evaluates and informs the specific amount, and requests payment in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies within a short period.
The core purpose of this design is to circumvent the risks of tracking and freezing traditional financial systems under international sanctions. The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies makes it difficult for funds to be easily intercepted or confiscated. Analysts point out that Iran has long faced sanctions, and its crypto ecosystem has rapidly developed in recent years. According to relevant data, Iran’s crypto activity has reached tens of billions of dollars. Officially incorporating the country’s maritime tolls into the crypto payment system marks a significant shift of cryptocurrencies from speculative assets to practical cross-border payment tools.
Why choose cryptocurrencies instead of stablecoins?
Many ask: why not use more stable stablecoins like USDT, but instead adopt more volatile cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin?
The key lies in the attribute differences: stablecoins (mainstream like USDT) are mostly pegged to the US dollar, backed by centralized issuance and custody mechanisms, closely linked to the dollar system.
In the current geopolitical conflicts, using dollar-pegged stablecoins can face risks of monitoring, locking, or intervention. Decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are different; they operate independently of any single sovereign currency system, making transactions difficult for any single entity to fully control. This is the core reason Iran chose it—effectively bypassing the dollar-dominated financial channels.
In the past, countries like Russia and India also attempted to use cryptocurrencies in some scenarios to evade sanctions, but these were mostly temporary or non-long-term policies. This time, Iran’s policy of charging for the Hormuz Strait—a critical global shipping route responsible for about 20% of worldwide oil transportation—has clear long-term intentions, far surpassing previous sporadic cases.
The profound significance of cryptocurrencies
Since their birth over a decade ago, cryptocurrencies have had sporadic practical payment applications, but long-term, large-scale, and definite real-world scenarios have been lacking, mainly remaining at the speculative level on exchanges. This event marks the first time that cryptocurrencies, in the form of sovereign state actions, have officially entered the international bulk commodity transportation and cross-border settlement fields. This is not just a price catalyst but also a sign that cryptocurrencies are truly “gaining wings”—gradually moving from fringe assets to one of the mainstream payment options. It bypasses the constraints of the traditional dollar system, providing new pathways for sanctioned countries or entities seeking diversification.
Of course, geopolitical complexities remain, and whether related policies can be sustained long-term or trigger further interventions remains to be seen. But from the perspective of cryptocurrency’s own development, this event is undoubtedly a milestone: it proves the practicality and resilience of crypto assets under high-pressure real-world environments.
Bitcoin’s sharp rise last night reflects the market gradually digesting this positive news. In the future, as more real-world scenarios are implemented, the independent status of cryptocurrencies is expected to be further solidified.