Iran Weighs Targeting 7 Internet Cables in Hormuz if Attacks Resume
Key Facts
Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel launch a new attack on Iran, two Iranian security officials told Reuters. That places digital infrastructure among the potential targets if fighting resumes, though carrying out the plans would depend on an attack taking place. One official said Iran would seek to prevent repairs to the cables after targeting them, potentially prolonging disruption to communications and internet services. Separately, Yahya Rahim Safavi, deputy head of political affairs in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Wednesday that Iran could target 7 major internet cables under the Strait of Hormuz if its infrastructure came under attack. The two security officials did not say how or where Tehran would carry out any potential attacks.
One of the Iranian officials said there would be “no red lines” if Iran were attacked, citing undersea cables and military bases, including secret facilities. The statement broadens the declared threat to include military targets alongside the undersea infrastructure that carries communications. Cutting several cables could slow internet services and disrupt financial transactions, e-commerce and cloud computing, analysts cited by Reuters said. The extent of disruption would depend on network operators’ ability to reroute data traffic and the capacity available on alternative routes. The officials did not identify specific commercial targets or announce a timeline for carrying out the threat.
Undersea cables carry about 99% of the world’s internet traffic, making them central to international communications, according to the International Telecommunication Union. But less than 1% of international bandwidth passes through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Alan Mauldin of TeleGeography, limiting the strait’s direct weight in total global capacity. That does not mean any disruption would be equally limited within the region; services relying on affected routes could be hit even though Hormuz accounts for a small share of international bandwidth. The practical impact would depend on which cables were disrupted, the alternative routes and the capacity available on them. The threat’s significance therefore differs between potential regional effects and its smaller share of global internet traffic.
A Reuters comparison shows that the Red Sea carries capacity equivalent to about 3% of global international demand and about 10% of interregional data traffic, according to Mauldin. Tehran has not announced a plan to target Red Sea cables, but the figures underscore how a route’s location shapes the scale of potential disruption. In the Gulf, preventing repairs could help prolong service outages after any damage. Higher insurance costs and permits to enter territorial waters could complicate repairs during wartime. An Iranian official said his country would seek to prevent repairs, without specifying how or where any potential targeting would take place.
Repairs to undersea cables can take from two weeks to several months, depending on location, weather and procedures, estimates from the International Telecommunication Union show. The world recorded more than 170 cable repairs in 2025, an average of nearly 4 faults a week, according to data from the International Telecommunication Union and the International Cable Protection Committee. These facts make repair time a factor in service continuity, alongside data rerouting and the availability of reserve capacity. The International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience adopted its final report on 10 July 2026, calling for faster permits and better preparedness and response. International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said the report offers “a practical roadmap for keeping undersea networks reliable.”
As part of efforts to strengthen connectivity in the region, Microsoft plans to invest more than 400 million dollars in undersea and terrestrial networks in the Middle East by 2030. The company said in September that its global network spans more than 275 thousand miles of terrestrial and undersea fiber, and that it had rerouted traffic through Middle East corridors during network disruptions with limited customer impact. The Sea-Me-We-6 system has landing points in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the company said. The international body’s recommendations call for stronger coordination between governments and industry, simpler permitting procedures, and greater route diversity and infrastructure redundancy. The recommendations link operational readiness to response speed, while Iran’s targeting plans remain contingent on a new attack.