Iran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel attack the country again, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.
The comments followed warnings by Iranian officials that undersea cables in the region could become targets in any renewed conflict if diplomacy with Washington collapses.
Iran undersea cables: what Tehran is threatening
The two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave few operational details and did not say how or where exactly Tehran would carry out such attacks. But one said Iran would aim to prevent repairs after any strikes to prolong disruptions to communications, including internet connections.
“If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines … from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones,” one of the officials said. He warned Washington not to “play with fire” and claimed Iran had full access to the undersea cables and could easily destroy them.
Yadollah Javani, the deputy head of political affairs for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), said on Wednesday that Iran could target seven major internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian infrastructure came under attack.
Top security official Mohsen Rezaei warned this month that US-linked digital infrastructure across the Gulf, including data centres and AI facilities, could be targeted in a renewed conflict. Washington’s Gulf allies “should hold Washington, not Tehran, responsible for any damage to undersea cables,” the second Iranian official said.
The US Department of State and Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. There was no immediate comment from Gulf states.
How much damage could cable attacks do?
Undersea cables carry around 99 per cent of global internet traffic, according to the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency. But the global impact of Iranian attacks could be limited, analysts say.
Less than 1 per cent of international bandwidth passes through the Strait of Hormuz, said Alan Mauldin, research director at telecommunications research firm TeleGeography.
The Red Sea could offer a more significant target, particularly if Iran had support from its Houthi allies in Yemen, though Tehran has made no public statement indicating it plans to target cables there. The Red Sea carries data between Europe, East Africa and Asia, with capacity routed through it accounting for about 3 per cent of global international demand and around 10 per cent of traffic travelling between regions, Mauldin said.
Multiple cable cuts could still slow internet services and disrupt financial transactions, e-commerce and cloud computing. Restoring connections during wartime would be difficult, and higher insurance costs plus delays in permits to enter territorial waters could complicate repairs.
Why Pakistan should watch this closely
For Pakistan, the threat is not abstract. The country’s internet depends on submarine cables landing at Karachi, and any disruption in Gulf waters forces traffic onto longer, congested routes, raising costs for businesses, banks and IT exporters.
The warning also lands in an already tense region. Iran’s army has ordered its ground forces to maintain the highest combat readiness amid tensions with the US, as reported in Iran army orders highest combat readiness. Pakistan has been watching the Strait of Hormuz closely: Deputy PM Ishaq Dar travelled to Istanbul for the first R-4 ministerial session focused on Hormuz and Saudi Arabia, covered in Ishaq Dar meets Turkish, Egyptian FMs on sidelines of Istanbul talks.
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said Tehran wants Gulf states and corporate executives to press US President Donald Trump over the risks his policies pose to their investments.
Iranian strikes directly hit two Amazon Web Services facilities in the UAE in March, and the IRGC named US tech companies including Microsoft, Google, Apple and Nvidia as legitimate targets at the height of the war in March.
Frequently asked questions
What has Iran threatened to do with undersea cables?
Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters that Tehran has detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf and prevent their repair if the US and Israel attack Iran again.
How much global internet traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz?
Less than 1 per cent of international bandwidth crosses the strait, according to TeleGeography, so the global impact would be limited. The Red Sea route, carrying about 3 per cent of global demand, would be a more significant target.
