Iran Seen Ready to Target Gulf Undersea Cables if U.S. and Israel Resume Strikes
Iranian security officials say Tehran has prepared plans to hit undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the U.S. and Israel renew military attacks, as President Trump weighs major strikes on Iran and U.S. intelligence warns of expanded Iranian plots against American personnel.
Iranian security officials say Tehran has drawn up plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel resume large‑scale attacks on Iran, adding a critical piece of digital infrastructure to the list of potential targets in the current standoff.
The officials outlined the cable plans to Reuters, linking them explicitly to the scenario of renewed U.S. and Israeli military operations. Undersea cables in the Gulf carry a significant share of regional internet and communications traffic and support financial activity across energy‑exporting states.
On the U.S. side, President Donald Trump has said Washington may launch another military operation against Iran if Tehran does not return to negotiations. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump is leaning toward renewed major combat operations, with Pentagon options that include strikes on nuclear facilities, bridges and other infrastructure, and Iranian‑controlled islands. No final decision has been announced.
Separately, U.S. intelligence assessments say Iran has substantially increased efforts to target American personnel abroad. In a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said his teams "have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel." That assessment underpins Washington’s decision to reduce staffing at U.S. embassies in Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE.
Targeting undersea cables would threaten to slow data flows and disrupt services even if other routes kept the region online, with knock‑on effects for banks, energy traders, ports and logistics firms that rely on fast, stable connections.
The risk of miscalculation is heightened by conflicting signals. While security officials talk about cable attacks as a contingency, Iran’s ambassador in Islamabad has said Tehran remains open to talks with Washington under a Pakistan‑brokered interim deal agreed in June to end the conflict.
Indicators that the confrontation is moving closer to the cable scenario include any U.S. decision to proceed with strikes on Iranian targets, unusual outages or degradation on Gulf cable routes, and heightened naval activity around known cable corridors. A confirmed attack on cables would move the dispute directly into the physical infrastructure that underpins the region’s economies.
Sources
- OSINT