Iranian Hardliner Urges Military to Target Gulf Undersea Cables, Threatening Regional Internet Links
Hossein Shariatmadari, editor‑in‑chief of Iran’s hardline Kayhan newspaper and a representative of the Supreme Leader at the outlet, has called on Iran’s military and Revolutionary Guard to hit undersea fiber‑optic cables in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, a move he says could disrupt internet across the region.
A prominent Iranian hardliner has urged the country’s armed forces to consider an attack on the undersea fiber‑optic cables that carry much of the Middle East’s internet traffic, adding a new kind of vulnerability to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
Hossein Shariatmadari, editor‑in‑chief of the hardline Kayhan newspaper and the Supreme Leader’s representative at the publication, has called on Iran’s military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target international undersea cables in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. He argued that damaging these lines could disrupt internet connectivity across the region and increase pressure on Iran’s adversaries.
Shariatmadari is not a state decision‑maker, and his comments do not amount to declared government policy. His position, however, means his arguments are closely watched as a reflection of ideas circulating in Iran’s hardline circles.
Undersea fiber‑optic cables are critical to daily life and commerce, from banking and aviation to cloud services and media. In the confined waters of the Gulf and Hormuz, only a limited number of routes carry large volumes of data between regional states and the wider world.
Shariatmadari’s call comes as the IRGC is already claiming a more assertive role in the Strait itself. The Guard says it has struck three supertankers in two days, including one that it says was set on fire after switching off its navigation system and ignoring warnings as it tried to leave the Strait.
Taken together, the tanker claims and talk of hitting undersea cables show how a narrow maritime chokepoint could also become a focal point for threats to regional connectivity.
What matters next is whether Iranian military figures or officials echo Shariatmadari’s proposal, and whether navies and telecommunications operators around the Gulf report unusual activity near known cable routes or unexplained cuts affecting several states at once.
Sources
- OSINT