Iran has set its sights on the internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz

Iranian authorities are considering turning the Strait of Hormuz into a strategic revenue center by imposing transit fees not only on energy resources but also on traffic via undersea cables. More than $10 trillion in financial transactions pass through this infrastructure every day. 

This was reported by Iran International.

Pro-government media are proposing to introduce licensing fees for foreign firms and force corporations such as Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft to operate under local laws. The possibility of transferring rights to repair and maintain cables exclusively to Iranian companies is also being considered. Such steps will allow Russia and other regional players to feel a change in the rules of the game in the global communications market.

Experts note that over 99% of international internet traffic depends on undersea cables, so even brief outages can cost the global economy hundreds of millions of dollars. Tehran could use this influence as leverage against neighboring Persian Gulf countries, which are critically dependent on undersea communication lines.

U.S. President Donald Trump is growing increasingly frustrated with the progress of negotiations with Iran to end the conflict and is considering the possibility of resuming large-scale military operations against Tehran.

Trump denies that the war with Iran is over and is announcing new objectives.

Britain has called on Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz and restore international shipping, which has been operating intermittently since the situation escalated. 

Recall that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not consider the war with Iran to be over.

Official Tehran has refused to participate in the second round of peace talks with the United States, which were to take place in Islamabad. 

Iran rejected Trump’s claims about transferring uranium to the U.S. and accused him of manipulation.