Key takeaways

• Iran deployed cryptocurrency as a payment option for Strait of Hormuz transit tolls beginning in mid-March 2026 — the first time a state has used crypto infrastructure as a sovereign revenue mechanism at a major maritime chokepoint                                                            
• The IRGC charges up to USD 2 million per vessel; various public estimates suggest the toll system could generate up to USD 20 million per day from oil tankers alone, with USD 600–800 million per month possible if LNG vessels are included                     
• The unnamed intermediary administering toll collection remains publicly unidentified — a critical…