Iranian officials say they have a plan to attack undersea cables — Jerusalem Post
Iranian security officials said that Tehran has prepared a plan to attack undersea communications cables in the Persian Gulf if the United States and Israel attack the country again. The Jerusalem Post reported this, citing two senior Iranian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The sources did not specify how or where Iran could carry out such attacks. One of them said that Tehran would also try to obstruct cable repairs after possible attacks in order to prolong communications disruptions, including internet access outages.
Statement by an IRGC representative
Yadollah Javani, deputy head of the political department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Wednesday that Iran could attack seven main internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian infrastructure is attacked.
The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran and Oman and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The U.S. State Department and Iran's Foreign Ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on these statements. There were also no immediate comments from the Persian Gulf states.
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Potential consequences for communications
According to the UN International Telecommunication Union, about 99% of global internet traffic is transmitted via undersea cables. At the same time, TeleGeography research director Alan Mauldin noted that less than 1% of international capacity passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so the global impact of possible attacks in this area could be limited.
Analysts note that multiple cable failures could slow internet connectivity and disrupt financial transactions, e-commerce and cloud services. Restoring the lines during a war could be complicated by higher insurance costs and delays in obtaining permits for work in territorial waters.
According to analysts, a more significant target for disrupting regional communications could be the Red Sea, especially if Iran acts with the support of Yemen's Houthis. At the same time, Tehran has not publicly stated an intention to attack cables in that area.
