Iran Warns Seven Undersea Internet Cables in Strait of Hormuz Are 'New Targets' If US Renews Strikes

Main News Report

TEHRAN: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that undersea internet cables running beneath the Strait of Hormuz could become "new targets" if the United States renews its strikes on the Islamic Republic, dramatically widening the scope of the Middle East conflict to global digital infrastructure.

IRGC spokesman Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi said on Monday that "seven major internet cables run beneath the Strait of Hormuz" and claimed that all of the world's internet and commercial data depended on them, according to reports carried by Anadolu Ajansi and AFP. "We just want them to know that new targets will be unveiled. New weapons will be unveiled," he was quoted as saying by Iranian state media, with Fars news agency carrying his remarks.

Mohebbi made the comments during a ceremony at Tehran's Sacred Defence Museum, according to the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, and separately vowed to drive what he called the remnants of American power out of the region. He added that Iran did not rule out a renewed war and warned that Tehran's response this time would be harsher, according to APA.

• Seven undersea cables: Mohebbi claimed seven major undersea internet cables pass beneath the strait, carrying the world's internet and commercial data traffic.
• New targets and weapons: The IRGC spokesman said Iran would unveil "new targets" and "new weapons" in any future confrontation.
• Wider threat: He also vowed to expel the "remnants of US power" from the region, Iranian state media reported.
• Security alerts: Several US embassies across the Middle East have issued identical security alerts to American citizens, citing the threat of attack from Iran or the Iran-backed Houthis, the Indian Express reported in its live coverage on Tuesday.

Background Context

The warning is not the first of its kind. On October 12, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told Iranian state broadcaster Press TV that Tehran could target undersea internet cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities linked to the United States if another war broke out, adding: "We have not yet included these assets among our targets."

The threat landscape around the strait has already escalated sharply in recent days. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that an oil tanker had caught fire after striking a naval mine south of the waterway — the third tanker damaged in under 48 hours — warning that any vessel which switched off its navigation systems would be treated as "hostile", AFP reported. Tehran seized effective control of the strait after war broke out with the United States and Israel in late February 2026, demanding that all ships seek its authorisation before transiting. The United States has maintained a naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports in response.

A memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran signed in June concerning freedom of navigation in the strait stalled over disagreements about security in the waterway, according to AFP. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that America continued to hit Iran hard "economically and militarily", Al Jazeera reported.

Reactions and Statements

• IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi: Warned the cables were potential "new targets" and said new weapons would be unveiled; vowed to expel US power from the region.
• US President Donald Trump: Said the US continues to hit Iran "economically and militarily" and praised Russia for doing "nothing" to aid Iran, according to Al Jazeera's live coverage.
• US embassies in the Middle East: Issued identical security alerts to Americans over the threat of attack from Iran or the Houthis, the Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
• Iran's UN envoy: Has warned against the "relentless threats" made by the US and Israel, including the possible use of heavy bunker-buster bombs, the Indian Express reported.
• Yemen's army: Said it had launched air strikes on Houthi targets in Taiz province, killing 129 fighters and wounding 176 over 48 hours, Al Jazeera reported — a sign of fighting widening across multiple fronts.

Why This News Matters

The Strait of Hormuz is already the world's most critical oil chokepoint, normally carrying about a fifth of global petroleum shipments. Adding undersea internet cables to the list of threatened targets would extend the war to the backbone of global digital communications — affecting banking, trade data and internet connectivity for countries across the region, including Pakistan, whose international traffic routes through cables landing in the Gulf.

For Pakistan, the stakes are direct: the country is a key mediator between Washington and Tehran — its army chief is visiting Tehran on Tuesday — and any disruption to the strait's shipping and data corridors would hit Pakistan's economy, fuel prices and connectivity at once. Oil markets were already on edge, with Brent crude futures easing to $109.06 a barrel on Tuesday morning as traders weighed Trump's latest sanctions waivers on Russian energy against Middle East supply risks, ET Now reported.

Future Developments

• Whether Iran moves beyond rhetoric: no new attack on, or damage to, any internet cable has been confirmed, UrduPoint noted on Tuesday.
• The response from Washington: the US has not yet publicly responded to the cable warning; the embassy security alerts suggest a heightened defensive posture.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Iran and Pakistan's army chief's trip to Tehran on Tuesday, both aimed at de-escalation.
• Any further tanker incidents in the strait, after three mine strikes in 48 hours, would signal a shift from threats to action.

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