Iran has plans to target Gulf undersea cables if attacked again, officials say

Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel attack Iran again, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials gave few details and did not say how or where Tehran would carry out such attacks. But one of them said Iran would aim to prevent repairs after any attacks 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, warning Washington not to "play with fire". The second official said Washington’s Gulf allies, which have invested heavily in such infrastructure, “should hold Washington, not Tehran, responsible for any damage to undersea cables.” Yadollah Javani, the deputy head of political affairs for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Wednesday that Iran could target seven major internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian infrastructure came under attack. Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei also warned this month that US-linked digital infrastructure across the Gulf, including data centres and AI facilities, could be targeted in a renewed conflict. Multiple cable cuts could slow internet services and disrupt financial transactions, e-commerce and cloud computing, experts said.