Iran threatens Gulf internet cables if war with US and Israel resumes

Dubai: Iran has drawn up plans to target undersea communication cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel resume military strikes against the country, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters, raising concerns over the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure in the region.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, provided few details about the proposed attacks but said Tehran could seek to prolong any disruption by preventing repairs to damaged cables. Such action could affect internet connectivity and other services that depend on reliable international data links.

The warnings follow statements by Iranian officials suggesting that undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz could become targets if Iranian infrastructure is attacked. Yadollah Javani, deputy head of political affairs for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, previously identified seven major internet cables beneath the strait as potential targets.

Undersea cables carry approximately 99 per cent of global internet traffic, according to the International Telecommunication Union. However, telecommunications research firm TeleGeography estimates that less than one per cent of international bandwidth passes through the Strait of Hormuz, limiting the likely impact on global connectivity.

The consequences could nevertheless be significant for Gulf countries, where multiple cable cuts could slow internet services and disrupt financial transactions, e-commerce and cloud computing. The scale of the disruption would depend on whether operators could redirect traffic through alternative routes.

Repairing damaged infrastructure during a conflict could also prove difficult because of security risks, higher insurance costs and restrictions on access to territorial waters.

The reported plans come amid heightened regional tensions and concerns about a possible resumption of hostilities. Iranian officials have also warned that US-linked data centres and artificial intelligence infrastructure in the Gulf could face retaliation.