9 Apr 2026
as it seeks to retain control over passage through the key waterway during the two-week ceasefire.
Hamid Hosseini, a spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, told the FT on Wednesday that Iran wanted to collect tolling fees from any tanker passing and to assess each ship.
He said that the tariff is $1 per barrel of hashtag#oil, adding that empty tankers can pass freely.
“Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in hashtag#bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions,” Hosseini added.
So why does Iran want to be paid in hashtag#bitcoin? Bacause:
- It is portable
- It is divisible
- It can be trusted
- It is economically & politically neutral
- It has immutable monetary policy
- It has perfect property rights
But also because it preserves long-term purchasing power from finite energy exports.
Indeed, storing oil revenues in traditional assets like US Treasury bonds can erode value over time, especially as energy prices rise faster than returns.
Historical examples suggest Iran would struggle to repurchase the same oil it once sold. In contrast, assets like gold—and more recently Bitcoin—have better preserved or increased purchasing power relative to energy.
Bitcoin, in particular, has dramatically outperformed oil prices since 2013. The conclusion is that commodity exporters may increasingly shift reserves into assets like gold and crypto to avoid losing value.
