Iran warns Hormuz undersea internet cables in danger if US-Israel attacks continue

Iran’s state news agency Tasnim has published a map of the undersea cables running through the Strait of Hormuz in an evident warning to the US, Israel, and their enablers of the consequences of continued aggression. Because of the West’s block on access to the site, it can only be accessed via VPN.

Iran is not having it

In a new article carrying a thinly-veiled threat of retaliatory pain, the Iran-based outlet writes:

The concentration of a large number of internet cables in a narrow passage has made the Strait of Hormuz a vulnerable point for the region’s digital economy.

The point wasn’t lost on observers:

Seven major cable systems pass through the Hormuz Strait, including AAE-1, FALCON, TGN-Gulf, ,SEA-ME-WE and Gulf Bridge International. As an example of the scale of disruption any damage to these cables could cause, countries that use AAE-1 include France, Italy, Greece, India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Myanmar.

The ‘FALCON’ (FLAG Alcatel-Lucent Optical Network) cable system crosses several seas and oceans, including the Atlantic, but the Hormuz stretch connects Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India and other countries. Tasnim’s article specifically name-checked US enablers in the region – Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Around 30% of global internet traffic passes through these cables, with the shallow depth and narrowness of the Strait leaving them clustered and vulnerable. Iran’s ability to flex on countries collaborating with the US-Israel axis is clearly not limited to oil.

Featured image via the Canary