Iran Plans to Target Gulf Undersea Cables if US and Israel Attack, Officials Say

Tehran Details Threat to Strait of Hormuz Cables

“If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines … from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones,” a senior Iranian security official warned, according to Reuters. Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Persian Gulf if the United States and Israel launch renewed military strikes against Iranian infrastructure, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

The Tech TL;DR:

• Tehran security officials state Iran has full access to regional submarine communications links and can sever them to intentionally prolong network outages.
• TeleGeography research director Alan Mauldin notes that less than 1% of global international bandwidth passes through the Strait of Hormuz, limiting the broader geographical fallout.
• U.S. technology giants including Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Nvidia have previously been named as targets by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Strategic Scope and Bandwidth Impact in the Persian Gulf

The warnings follow statements by Iranian officials indicating that subsea cables running beneath the Strait of Hormuz could become primary targets if diplomatic channels collapse entirely. Yadollah Javani, the deputy head of political affairs for the IRGC, stated that Iran could target seven major internet cables traversing the strait. The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran and Oman, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. While submarine cables carry approximately 99% of global internet traffic according to the International Telecommunication Union, TeleGeography research director Alan Mauldin pointed out that the global impact of such disruptions could remain relatively localized. Less than 1% of international bandwidth passes directly through the narrow corridor.

Engineers analyzing network resilience point out that high-capacity subsea trunks require specialized cable-repair ships and permits to enter territorial waters. Restoring severed lines during active hostilities involves severe logistical bottlenecks. Higher marine insurance premiums and restricted maritime access can leave paths dark for extended windows.

# Example network telemetry check for packet loss and latency shifts
traceroute -m 20 gulf-data-node.net
ping -c 100 -i 0.2 198.51.100.42

Targeting U.S. Cloud Infrastructure and Regional AI Hubs

Gulf governments have poured massive capital into upgrading their digital footprints, attempting to transition into regional artificial intelligence hubs through deep partnerships with Western technology enterprises. The second Iranian security official quoted by Reuters argued that regional allies investing in tech infrastructure should hold Washington, not Tehran, responsible for potential asset damage.

Iranian strikes directly hit two Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates in March and caused structural damage near a facility in Bahrain. During the same escalation window, the IRGC explicitly named major U.S. technology providers as legitimate targets. In response to these infrastructure vulnerabilities, capital expenditure continues to flow into alternative routing architectures. Microsoft has committed to investing more than $400 million in subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East through 2030 to bolster network redundancy against localized cable cuts.

Tehran Targets Infrastructure to Exert Political Pressure

Alex Vatanka noted that the threats against subsea infrastructure are calculated to exert political pressure. According to Vatanka, Tehran intends to make Gulf governments and corporate executives fear for their regional investments, thereby prompting them to lobby U.S. leadership against initiating renewed military campaigns. The U.S. Department of State and Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment regarding the security officials’ remarks, and Gulf state officials issued no immediate public statements.

Disclaimer: The technical analyses and security protocols detailed in this article are for informational purposes only. Always consult with certified IT and cybersecurity professionals before altering enterprise networks or handling sensitive data.

More on this story: IRGC: Supertankers Hit Sea Mines in Strait of Hormuz