According to Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union, Tehran plans to collect a toll of $1 per barrel of oil from vessels passing through the Strait. Empty ships would reportedly be allowed to pass free of charge. Hosseini said the procedure would involve ships emailing the authorities about their cargo, after which Iran would provide the digital currency payment instructions. He added that payments would be made via bitcoin “to ensure they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions.”
“Iran needs to monitor what goes in and out of the strait to ensure these two weeks aren’t used for transferring weapons,” Hosseini told the Financial Times. He emphasized that while ships can technically pass, the process will take time, noting that Iran “is not in a rush.”
