Over the course of weeks, the Iranian war was one of the biggest reasons preventing Bitcoin from maintaining its rise.

And now, the war itself has given Bitcoin one of the strangest demand signals in its history.

Iran announced that ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz are now required to pay transit fees in Bitcoin. The fee is one dollar per barrel, and the largest tankers carry up to 3 million barrels, meaning a single passage could require paying $3 million worth of Bitcoin. Empty tankers pass for free. The rest of the tankers pay the Bitcoin fee within seconds of receiving Iranian approval.

Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Exporters Union, said: "Once the email is received and Iran completes its assessment, ships are given a few seconds to pay with Bitcoin, ensuring they cannot be tracked or seized due to sanctions."

Why did Iran choose Bitcoin, and why is this significant?
The logic is clear: Bitcoin bypasses existing dollar-based financial channels, is a non-sovereign currency, and falls outside Western sanctions. It perfectly fits Iran’s digital currency ecosystem, valued at $7.8 billion, which Chainalysis has documented as increasingly important in how Iran moves money across borders.