Unknown actors posing as Iranian authorities are reportedly targeting shipping companies with fraudulent messages demanding transit fees in cryptocurrency in exchange for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has said that providing security in the Strait of Hormuz “is not free”, warning that restrictions on Iran’s oil exports would have wider consequences.

Iran will prioritize vessels that pay to cross the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official told CNN on Saturday.

At least two U.S.-sanctioned vessels linked to Iran entered the Gulf on Thursday through what appears to be a new route near Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands, as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply reduced amid the third day of a U.S. blockade.

A Chinese tanker sanctioned by the United States transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday despite a U.S. blockade of the chokepoint, according to shipping data.

A container vessel linked to French ownership has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, marking what appears to be the first known transit by a Western European-associated ship since the Iran war largely disrupted traffic in the critical waterway.

Iran is considering new legislation that would require countries to pay fees for vessels transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

A Turkish-owned ship has passed through the Strait of Hormuz after receiving permission from Iran, Türkiye’s Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said.