Iran Plans to Charge Strait of Hormuz Tolls, Demands Cryptocurrency Payments

Hamid Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's 'Union of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters', told the British 'Financial Times' today that Iran hopes to levy tolls on all oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz and assess each vessel.

Hosseini said: 'Iran must monitor all vessels entering and exiting the strait to ensure they are not used to transport weapons in these two weeks.' His union has close ties with government departments.

He added: 'All vessels can pass, but the process for each vessel will take some time, and Iran is not in a hurry.'

The ultimate decision-making power for the conditions of passing through the Strait of Hormuz lies with Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Hosseini's remarks indicate that Iran will require all oil tankers to use the northern passage, close to the Iranian coast, which has raised concerns about whether Western and Gulf state vessels are willing to risk passing through.

Later today, Iran announced a temporary halt to oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

Before Iran issued the halt order, Hosseini stated that all passing oil tankers must first notify the relevant authorities of their cargo status via email, after which Iran would inform them of the cryptocurrency toll to be paid.

Hosseini added: 'After receiving the email and completing the vessel assessment, ships will only have a few seconds to complete the payment with Bitcoin, so that related transactions are not easily tracked or frozen due to sanctions.' (Compiled by Tsai Chia-min) April 9, 2026.