{"url":"https://www.ft.com/content/02aefac4-ea62-48db-9326-c0da373b11b8","title":"Iran demands crypto tolls for Hormuz tankers in ceasefire","domain":"ft.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/12355316/pexels-photo-12355316.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"oil tanker Strait Hormuz","category":"World","language":"en","slug":"3b356a0e","id":"3b356a0e-9402-405e-b270-6263e04cf375","description":"Iran will require laden oil tankers to pay tolls in cryptocurrency to pass through the Strait of Hormuz during the two-week US-Iran ceasefire.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- Iran will require laden oil tankers to pay tolls in cryptocurrency to pass through the Strait of Hormuz during the two-week US-Iran ceasefire.\n- Toll is **$1 per barrel**, with tankers emailing cargo details first; empty tankers pass free.[[1]](https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-to-charge-ships-for-Hormuz-transit/66029688)[[2]](https://www.ft.com/content/02aefac4-ea62-48db-9326-c0da373b11b8?syn-25a6b1a6=1)\n- Move lets Iran monitor shipments for weapons and generate revenue from the strait carrying **20%** of global oil flows.[[3]](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/iran-could-earn-at-least-4-million-daily-if-hormuz-transit-fees-similar-to-suez-are-imposed-13883548.html)\n\n## The story at a glance\nIran demands cryptocurrency tolls from laden oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz as part of a two-week ceasefire with the US after 39 days of conflict. **Hamid Hosseini**, spokesperson for Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union, outlined the process to the *Financial Times*, with authors **Najmeh Bozorgmehr** in Tehran and **Alice Hancock** in London. This follows US President **Donald Trump**'s announcement of the truce, mediated by Pakistan, requiring Iran to reopen the strait. The strait had seen sharp drops in traffic, stranding vessels and spiking energy prices.\n\n## Key points\n- Ceasefire announced April 8, 2026, halts US-Israeli strikes in exchange for strait reopening; further talks set for Islamabad.[[4]](https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/oil-gas/oil-gas-prices-plunge-u-s-iran-agree-ceasefire)\n- Tankers must email cargo manifests; Iran sets **$1 per barrel** fee payable in digital currencies like Bitcoin; process delays passage deliberately.[[1]](https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-to-charge-ships-for-Hormuz-transit/66029688)\n- Empty tankers exempted; all vessels monitored to block weapons smuggling, per Hosseini.\n- Plan allows Iran and Oman to charge fees, citing a regional official to Associated Press; revenue potentially **$4 million+ daily** at scale.[[3]](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/iran-could-earn-at-least-4-million-daily-if-hormuz-transit-fees-similar-to-suez-are-imposed-13883548.html)\n- Pre-conflict, strait handled **20.3 million barrels/day** oil and **25%** global LNG; traffic fell to **9 vessels/day** by early April.[[3]](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/iran-could-earn-at-least-4-million-daily-if-hormuz-transit-fees-similar-to-suez-are-imposed-13883548.html)\n\n## Details and context\nThe strait, a natural waterway between Iran and Oman, carries one-fifth of world oil despite no prior formal tolls like the Suez Canal. Iran has reportedly charged fees informally during the blockade, often in yuan or crypto, starting at **$1/barrel** or up to **$2 million** per VLCC tanker. The ceasefire eases a buildup of **25+ tankers** and **800 vessels** trapped inside, with US aid promised for clearance.[[4]](https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/oil-gas/oil-gas-prices-plunge-u-s-iran-agree-ceasefire)\n\nConflict erupted late February with US-Israeli strikes; Iran blocked most traffic, halving volumes and doubling war-risk insurance. Oil prices plunged post-ceasefire (Brent to **$95/barrel**), but recovery lags as fields and refineries restart over weeks.\n\n## Key quotes\n- \"Everything can pass through, but the procedure will take time for each vessel, and Iran is not in a rush,\" **Hamid Hosseini** told the *Financial Times*.[[1]](https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-to-charge-ships-for-Hormuz-transit/66029688)\n- \"Iran needs to monitor what goes in and out,\" **Hamid Hosseini** added.[[1]](https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-to-charge-ships-for-Hormuz-transit/66029688)\n\n## Why it matters\nIran gains leverage over global energy flows through a chokepoint it partially controls, potentially formalising fees beyond the ceasefire and funding reconstruction. Shippers face higher costs and delays, passing **$1-2 million** per large tanker to fuel prices, while traders watch stranded **10-13 million barrels/day** release. Negotiations in Islamabad could extend or scrap the tolls, but any truce breach risks re-blockade.","hashtags":["#iran","#hormuz","#ceasefire","#oil","#cryptocurrency","#shipping"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.ft.com/content/02aefac4-ea62-48db-9326-c0da373b11b8","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-to-charge-ships-for-Hormuz-transit/66029688","title":""},{"url":"https://www.ft.com/content/02aefac4-ea62-48db-9326-c0da373b11b8?syn-25a6b1a6=1","title":""},{"url":"https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/iran-could-earn-at-least-4-million-daily-if-hormuz-transit-fees-similar-to-suez-are-imposed-13883548.html","title":""},{"url":"https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/oil-gas/oil-gas-prices-plunge-u-s-iran-agree-ceasefire","title":""}],"viewCount":2,"publishedAt":"2026-04-08T14:14:53.624Z"}