The scam is unfolding against a backdrop of genuine chaos in the strait, where news of ceasefires and shifting blockades has created deep uncertainty, and where Iran's infrastructure has been repeatedly struck by US and Israeli forces — raising real questions about communication reliability between Iranian military units. That confusion makes it nearly impossible for ship operators to distinguish a legitimate demand from a fraudulent one, and scammers are clearly exploiting that ambiguity. With vessels in the area typically carrying cargo worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the financial incentive for targeting them is enormous. Tehran has not commented on the situation, leaving it unclear whether some of the incidents reflect the scam, genuine military action, or miscommunication between units operating in a degraded command environment.