"After providing the documents and assessing your eligibility by the Iranian Security Services, we will be able to determine the fee to be paid in cryptocurrency (BTC or USDT). Only then will your vessel be able to transit the strait unimpeded at the pre-agreed time,” the message from the unknown actors reads, as cited by MARISKS.
MARISKS said it believes at least one vessel fired on by Iranian boats Saturday, while attempting to exit the strait during a brief reopening, had paid the fraudulent fee.
Decrypt has reached out to the firm for comment and will update this article should they respond.
No safe harborBut whether Iran's crypto toll system ever actually operated at scale remains disputed.
In this case, the lack of on-chain evidence has not made the threat any less real for stranded vessels.
“Iran-linked actors have a well-documented history of using cryptocurrency to circumvent traditional financial controls,” Isabella Chase, head of policy for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at TRM Labs, told Decrypt.
Even an unwitting payment to a sanctioned entity carries legal liability under OFAC regulations, and “crypto payments offer no safe harbour” from that exposure, Chase warned. Shipping companies should run blockchain intelligence checks on any wallet before transferring funds and consult sanctions experts before acting on any payment demand, she added.
“Whether the recipient is genuinely Iranian or not, the intent to transact with a sanctioned regime is present,” Xue Yin Peh, head of investigative strategy and collection at on-chain intelligence firm Chainalysis, told Decrypt.
Paying a scammer instead of actual Iranian authorities does not automatically eliminate sanctions exposure, Peh said, adding that regulators could still scrutinize a company's intent to pay what it believed was a sanctioned regime.
“Beyond sanctions, the company remains a victim of fraud, and the funds may still end up with actors who are sanctioned, designated, or involved in other illicit activity, even if they are not part of the Iranian regime,” he added.
With little public information on how Iran is actually administering crypto toll payments, Peh advised that standard anti-scam practices remain the strongest defense: verify demands through official channels, consult maritime security advisers, and treat urgent payment pressure as a red flag.
