BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has publicly challenged reports that Iran is collecting Bitcoin (BTC) tolls from oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
His skepticism echoes a growing chorus of crypto voices questioning whether Tehran’s crypto toll demands have any on-chain substance behind them.
Iran’s Crypto Toll Demand Meets Blockchain Skepticism
The controversy stems from a report on Bitcoin tolls at the Strait of Hormuz. According to Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, laden tankers must email cargo details to Iranian authorities.
They then receive a toll assessment of roughly $1 per barrel of oil on board.
Payments must be made in cryptocurrency or Chinese yuan. BTC was explicitly cited as an accepted option. Fully loaded supertankers could face fees of up to $2 million, roughly 281 BTC at recent prices.
The payment window is reportedly just seconds long, designed to make funds difficult to trace or seize under Western sanctions.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) enforces compliance, with non-compliant vessels risking denial of passage.
Hayes responded on X with a pointed challenge.
“I’ll believe Iran is charging a toll in $BTC when I see a tx linked to a vessel’s toll payment. Otherwise, it’s just the IRGC trolling the western filthy fiat financial system,” Hayes challenged in a post.
Strait Remains Blocked as Doubts Mount
Despite a two-week US-Iran ceasefire, shipping data shows minimal tanker traffic. According to reports citing intelligence firm Kpler, no oil or gas tankers have passed through since the ceasefire took effect.
Hundreds of vessels remain waiting, and the waterway that normally handles roughly 135 ships per day remains largely restricted.
Earlier Bloomberg reporting indicated some vessels had paid tolls in yuan or stablecoins like Tether (USDT) for IRGC-escorted passage before the ceasefire.
However, no BTC-specific payments have been verified on-chain.
Other renowned accounts amplify the skepticism, citing “geopolitical shitposting” as the reason the story transcends BTC-only to any crypto or yuan within minutes.
Meanwhile, a Mossad-linked commentary account raised an additional wrinkle. It claimed Iran listed the Trump-linked USD1 token as an accepted payment method, framing the move as a potential geopolitical provocation.
What Comes Next
BTC surged roughly 5% on the initial reports, signaling that markets treated the news as a bullish adoption signal.
Yet the EU has publicly stated that freedom of navigation must be ensured without any payment or toll.
If a verifiable on-chain transaction surfaces linking BTC to a specific vessel’s toll, it would represent one of the largest real-world sovereign uses of Bitcoin for energy-related payments.
Until that proof appears, Hayes and much of the crypto community remain unconvinced.
