These cables carry global internet traffic and financial data. Iran is looking to require permits, charge fees, and have Iranian laws applied to foreign companies, and give Iranian firms technical control over cable management and repairs.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical 21 nautical mile (39 km) wide shipping corridor bordered by Iran to the north and Oman to the south, with both nations claiming 12-nautical-mile territorial waters that overlap. Because of this overlap, the entire strait consists of territorial seas rather than international waters.
The Strait of Hormuz acts as a critical digital chokepoint, with five major fibre-optic undersea cable systems carrying 17% to 30% of regional internet traffic between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. These cables are currently considered highly vulnerable to disruption due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, with reports of potential threats from Iranian-aligned groups targeting this infrastructure.
