Iran is reportedly accepting cryptocurrency payments from cargo ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. This move aligns with Tehran's existing sanctions-skirting trade networks. The official price for these payments is $1 per barrel of oil, with the largest tankers carrying up to two million barrels. However, experts believe this move is part of a larger effort by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been increasingly using cryptocurrency to facilitate cross border commercial trade, particularly with Iranian oil sales. Andrew Fierman, head of national security intelligence at Chainalysis, said that accepting these payments in crypto would make it easier than potentially using the traditional banking system. The IRGC's adoption of cryptocurrency as a payment mechanism for cross border trade is similar to North Korea's where the main goal is to steal billions of dollars in crypto and laundering it.