Iran has described several undersea fiber-optic cables running through the Strait of Hormuz as "legitimate new targets" in any future escalation. The waterway has become a focal point of tension since the United States, Israel and others began military action in February.
The remarks came from General Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, at an event this week, according to The Telegraph. "Seven large cables pass beneath the Strait of Hormuz, and all internet and commercial data pass through them," he said.
Another IRGC general, Yadollah Javani, who serves as the force's political deputy, struck a similar note. According to comments reported by Iran International, he suggested that Iran would respond by attacking the cables if its own infrastructure were hit.
Fighting between the United States and Iran has eased, but the conflict is not fully resolved. Mohebbi suggested that a "third phase" of the war would bring a "new geography" with "new targets and new weapons."
One cable mentioned by the IRGC appears to match the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 system. It stretches 15,050 miles from Asia to Europe and passes through Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The UAE and Qatar both share direct maritime borders with Iran.
Experts say the threat should be taken seriously. Alessio Patalano, a professor of war and strategy at King's College London, told The Telegraph that an attack was "not only possible, but it's been a rather clear possibility for a long time." He said divers could "go down to the seabed.. and cut them or destroy them." Such sabotage is not "unheard of," he added, pointing to the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline near Denmark, which was supposedly carried out by Ukrainian agents.
Other comments given to The Telegraph indicate Iran has weighed cutting the cables several times since the war started. Tehran has held back so far, according to an unnamed Iranian spokesman, because doing so would amount to "declaring war on the whole world and building new enemies." The same spokesman said it would remain "an option if Trump escalates."
Iran is not the only country drawing attention to undersea infrastructure. Earlier this year, a Russian ship was chased from British waters by a Royal Navy attack helicopter after it loitered for 14 hours less than a mile from five undersea cables. Those cables connect the UK with Spain, Portugal, Canada and the United States.
