In brief
RBC-Ukraine, citing Reuters, reports conditional threats against communications links. The scale of disruption would depend on damage and alternative routes.
Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters that Tehran had prepared plans to attack undersea communications cables in the Persian Gulf if talks with Washington fail and US and Israeli military operations against Iran resume, RBC-Ukraine reported on October 24.
One official also threatened to obstruct repairs to damaged networks to prolong communications outages. The statements concern possible future action; RBC-Ukraine’s report did not describe these attacks as having taken place.
RBC-Ukraine also cited Yadollah Javani, deputy head of political affairs for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as saying Tehran could target seven main internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz in response to strikes on Iranian infrastructure.
Widespread global disruption would not necessarily follow. Alan Mauldin, research director at TeleGeography, said less than 1% of international internet bandwidth passes through the strait, according to RBC-Ukraine. The impact would depend on how many cables were damaged and whether operators could reroute traffic through alternatives with sufficient capacity.