However, and this is frustrating, Bitcoin (BTC) is not mentioned at all as an accepted transaction medium for the Strait of Hormuz tolls. <bloomberg.com>
Every credible report on the system (led by Bloomberg’s April 1, 2026 dispatch, which is the primary source cited across outlets) describes the accepted forms of payment as:
- Chinese yuan (the default and most frequently used option, especially for oil tankers).
- Stablecoins — explicitly defined as “cryptocurrencies pegged to the value of hard currency” or “stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies” (widely understood in context as USDT, USDC, or equivalent on Tron or similar rails). <finance.yahoo.com +1>
No journalistic account references native Bitcoin, BTC settlement, Lightning payments, or any non-pegged cryptocurrency. The phrasing is consistent: “yuan or stablecoins,” “yuan or corresponding cryptocurrencies” (with the stablecoin qualifier), or “crypto — specifically stablecoins.” <nypost.com>
There is one outlier social-media claim (a April 3 Facebook post) asserting “Payment accepted in Bitcoin. Not USDT. Not USDC” and offering a rationale about freeze risk. That claim is uncorroborated by any reporting and stands alone against the detailed sourcing from Bloomberg, maritime industry contacts, and secondary coverage. <facebook.com>
So while I agree with your overall premise, Iran is still trapped in the debt based world, and not even thinking about the possibility of escaping it in real terms. The greatest change they could make would be to stop constricting traffic in the Strait and instead shift to Bitcoin as the transaction currency for all major export categories. We could wish that would happen, but it's likely not in the cards.
chadlupkes / Chad Lupkes
npub1mu…wcnel
2026-04-04 16:23:04 UTC
in reply to nevent1q…gul7
Author Public Key
npub1murdy8k20svu38g9f9jt9k0rqkjzt677x3qrev88je4gw2erqk8scwcnelPublished at
2026-04-04 16:23:04 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "However, and this is frustrating, Bitcoin (BTC) is not mentioned at all as an accepted transaction medium for the Strait of Hormuz tolls. \u003cbloomberg.com\u003e\n\nEvery credible report on the system (led by Bloomberg’s April 1, 2026 dispatch, which is the primary source cited across outlets) describes the accepted forms of payment as:\n- Chinese yuan (the default and most frequently used option, especially for oil tankers).\n- Stablecoins — explicitly defined as “cryptocurrencies pegged to the value of hard currency” or “stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies” (widely understood in context as USDT, USDC, or equivalent on Tron or similar rails). \u003cfinance.yahoo.com +1\u003e\n\nNo journalistic account references native Bitcoin, BTC settlement, Lightning payments, or any non-pegged cryptocurrency. The phrasing is consistent: “yuan or stablecoins,” “yuan or corresponding cryptocurrencies” (with the stablecoin qualifier), or “crypto — specifically stablecoins.” \u003cnypost.com\u003e\n\nThere is one outlier social-media claim (a April 3 Facebook post) asserting “Payment accepted in Bitcoin. Not USDT. Not USDC” and offering a rationale about freeze risk. That claim is uncorroborated by any reporting and stands alone against the detailed sourcing from Bloomberg, maritime industry contacts, and secondary coverage. \u003cfacebook.com\u003e\n\nSo while I agree with your overall premise, Iran is still trapped in the debt based world, and not even thinking about the possibility of escaping it in real terms. The greatest change they could make would be to stop constricting traffic in the Strait and instead shift to Bitcoin as the transaction currency for all major export categories. We could wish that would happen, but it's likely not in the cards.",
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