Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire • Hacker News Board

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#91

Post by dist-epoch » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

deltoidmaximus wrote: post #9

pavlov wrote: post #2

”Hosseini said that each tanker must email authorities about its cargo, after which Iran will inform them of the toll to be paid in digital currencies. “He said that the tariff is $1 per barrel of 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 bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions,’…

As bitcoin is quite traceable I don't see how this works if you're trying to avoid sanctions. For Iran it probably doesn't matter but for the vessel owners it probably does.

One of Iran's demand for a peace agreement is the removal of all sanctions.

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#92

Post by grumple » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:44 PM UTC

puelocesar wrote: post #45

cjs_ac wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This war will be to the US what the Suez Crisis was to the United Kingdom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis

TIL about one more time Israel was invading it's neighbors..

You should focus on the part where Egypt blockaded the Suez and Straits of Tiran, which is what actually caused the war.

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#93

Post by dist-epoch » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC

GeoPolAlt wrote: post #3

I think this war will be the moment that historians mark as the death of Pax Americana. The US failed to change the Iranian regime, failed to open the strait, and now a previously international waterway will be tolled in a currency other than the dollar. I wish it need not have happened in my time

You forgot that now Iran will become a nuclear state.

An American Iranian expert which studied this region for 20 years predicted that Iran will do a nuclear test in September, ahead of the mid-term elections. We'll see.

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#94

Post by Pay08 » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC

jMyles wrote: post #55

wodenokoto wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it broken with Israel continuing their war against Lebanon?

As best I can tell, the Iranian regime and Sharif both said that they ceasefire included a cease to strikes on Lebanon, Netanyahu explicitly said that it did not, and the Trump admin, Lebanon, and Hezbollah have not yet commented either way. Links to Pakistan and Israel statements here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/8/us-iran-ceasefire-de...

Lebanon has also said that the ceasefire doesn't apply to Hezbollah, since they insist that both them and Israel are at war with Hezbollah, not with each other. The only parties that say it does are Hezbollah and Pakistan.

Also, I really wouldn't suggest using aljazeera.

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#95

Post by logicchains » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC

iugtmkbdfil834 wrote: post #20

It is interesting in several different ways, because I was speculating on how it is being done before current cease fire. Everything seemed to be point to Yuan ( or other non-USD currencies ), which then are more easily settled by vessel owners and likely buried under some non-descript names like fees to be , maybe, questioned later its all done. edit: And it seems I was wrong despite it being my initial thought in t…

It's a sad indictment of the RMB that Iran would rather use BTC for bypassing US sanctions.

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#96

Post by Pay08 » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

Hendrikto wrote: post #19

wongarsu wrote: post #6

I was under the impression that they were asking for payment in stablecoins, not bitcoin? Did they change their mind?

Given that 99% of stablecoins are USD-denominated, and that the vast, vast majority of those are custodial, Bitcoin makes much more sense for Iran.

With Iran's hyperinflation, why wouldn't USD make sense?

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#97

Post by damnesian » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

grumple wrote: post #85

xeromal wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would Iran give the US fees?

Behind the scenes, they may have already conceded to paying Trump off just like the other gulf states.

plausible, esp in light of all the things.

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#98

Post by bluGill » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:48 PM UTC

belorn wrote: post #39

Does this mean ceasefire is now broken? The 10 point plan was to be discussed later in the peace talks, but what was the exact conditions that predicated the ceasefire?

too early to say. You always ask for more than you can possibly get in these things so that you have something to compromise on (it is stupid but that is how that game is played)

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#99

Post by Pay08 » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:48 PM UTC

cjs_ac wrote: post #12

GeoPolAlt wrote: post #3

I think this war will be the moment that historians mark as the death of Pax Americana. The US failed to change the Iranian regime, failed to open the strait, and now a previously international waterway will be tolled in a currency other than the dollar. I wish it need not have happened in my time

This war will be to the US what the Suez Crisis was to the United Kingdom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis

That's far too hyperbolic. Abject failures don't lead to state or power collapse. Look at how many wars the Romans lost, and far more catastrophically too.

Re: Iran demands Bitcoin fees for ships passing Hormuz during ceasefire

#100

Post by citrin_ru » Wed, Apr 08, 2026, 4:48 PM UTC

Tostino wrote: post #75

pas wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

pipelines, railway, etc. had the US had any real plan to empower the Gulf states against Iran there would already be backup routes

Pipelines are incredibly vulnerable to being taken offline by an inexpensive long-range strike. You can't just put them in the middle of a war zone, especially when we (the US) have targeted that same type of infrastructure first.

Pipelines are usually buried under the ground. Pumping statins could be protected by short range SAM systems. An undegraund pipeline can be destroyed by a heavy glide bomd (not an option for Iran) but should be relatively safe from shahed drones. Iran's ballistic rockets are not precise enough to hit a pipeline wihtout spending multiple rockets (in which case it would be cheaper to repair the pipeline than to produce all these rockets).