Iran fires shots at a tanker passing through to pay Bitcoin toll to scammers.

At least one oil tanker that paid fake tolls was fired upon while attempting to pass by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. On-chain analysis firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis both stated that no widespread on-chain evidence of cryptocurrency toll collection has been found to date.

Iran announced it was collecting tolls in Bitcoin, and scammers turned this narrative into a weapon within two weeks.

According to Reuters report on April 21, Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS issued a warning: unidentified individuals impersonating Iranian authorities are sending false messages to ships stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz, demanding payment in BTC or USDT for safe passage. MARISKS believes that at least one vessel, which was fired upon by Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats when the strait was briefly opened on April 18, is a victim of this scam.

The absurdity of the incident lies in the entire causal chain: a sovereign nation announces collecting Bitcoin tolls, scammers copy this rhetoric to deceive, shipowners believe it, pay the money, and then are shot at by real Iranian forces.

From a “national-level settlement tool” to a scammer’s attack surface

The story begins in early April.

The Iranian Parliament passed the “Hormuz Strait Management Plan” from March 30 to 31, officially codifying the toll system that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been implementing since mid-March. According to the Financial Times, Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for the Iranian Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Exporters Union, confirmed that laden oil tankers must pay a fee of $1 per barrel, payable in Bitcoin, USDT, or RMB. A supertanker loaded with 2 million barrels of crude oil could pay up to $2 million in tolls at once.

Once the news broke, Bitcoin’s price jumped 5%, briefly surpassing $72.7k. The crypto community quickly interpreted this as a milestone validation of Bitcoin as an “international trade neutral settlement layer.” Institutions like Bitwise even linked it to predictions of Bitcoin reaching $1 million.

But skeptics were also numerous.

Sam Lyman of the Bitcoin Policy Institute pointed out in a report on April 15 that collecting Bitcoin tolls on a large scale with current technology is “almost impossible.” Ari Redbord, TRM Labs’ global policy head, told Forbes that on-chain data does not show large-scale toll payments happening. Chainalysis, in its analysis report, noted that on-chain activity related to Iranian entities mainly relies on USDT on Tron, not Bitcoin.

Scammers don’t care about these technical debates. They only need a credible narrative, and the Iranian government has already written the script for them.

Paid with fake money, shot with real guns

According to Reuters and DL News, the wording of scam messages closely mimics official statements. The scammers ask shipowners to submit vessel documents, claiming that “Iranian security agencies” will evaluate them. After approval, payment in BTC or USDT is required, and then the ship can pass through the strait safely at the “scheduled time.”

Currently, about 400 ships and around 20k crew members are stranded in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and Iran’s repeated opening and closing of the strait create a double blockade, fueling anxiety among shipowners. Scammers exploit this anxiety precisely.

On April 18, when Iran briefly opened the strait, some ships attempted to pass. According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), two Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats fired upon a tanker trying to exit the strait, forcing it to turn back. MARISKS believes that this tanker had previously paid the scammers in cryptocurrency “tolls,” thinking it had obtained permission to pass.

Paid but the money didn’t reach Iran. The ship was still shot at.

Paying scammers may also violate sanctions laws

Even more ironically, even if shipowners realize they’ve been scammed, legal risks remain.

Xue Yin Peh, head of investigation strategy at Chainalysis, told Decrypt that regardless of whether the recipient is truly Iranian authorities, paying a sanctioned entity could violate OFAC, EU, and UK sanctions regulations. In other words, even if you think you’re paying Iran, and the money ends up in scammers’ pockets, regulators can still pursue you for “intent.”

Isabella Chase, policy head for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at TRM Labs, also warned that any wallet addresses associated with such requests should be considered “high risk,” and cryptocurrency payments do not offer any “safe harbor” in sanctions compliance.

This creates an almost impossible dilemma for shipowners: paying Iran is a sanctions violation, paying scammers might also be a violation, and not paying means drifting in the Persian Gulf.

“Bitcoin is irreversible” turns from an advantage into a flaw

The most reflective aspect for the crypto industry in this incident is how Bitcoin’s core feature performs in this scenario.

Benzinga highlighted a key issue: once a cryptocurrency payment is sent, it cannot be reversed. Unlike traditional bank transfers, which can be frozen or recovered, once Bitcoin or USDT is transferred, the funds are lost. This feature, known in normal business contexts as “trustless settlement,” becomes “irrecoverable loss” in a war + scam scenario.

This might be the most absurd crypto story of 2026… Iran’s plan to collect tolls in Bitcoin may never have truly materialized, but scammers have already profited from this story, and a tanker was shot at because of it.