Beneath the waters of the Strait of Hormuz lies a dense network of subsea cables carrying internet traffic, financial data and cloud services between the Gulf, Europe and Asia. Globally, those cables carry roughly 99% of internet traffic, making them one of the foundations of the digital economy.
They help process payments, connect businesses, support government platforms and keep essential online services running across the region.
Now, those cables are being discussed in openly strategic terms. Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), highlighted the vulnerability of undersea internet cables crossing the Gulf.
It warned that simultaneous damage to several major cables – whether by accident or deliberate action – could trigger severe outages across the region.
The warning points to a broader shift in how conflict works. In a digital economy, pressure does not need to begin with ports, pipelines or airports.
It can begin with the systems lying quietly on the ocean floor. It also fits a broader regional pattern: telecom and digital infrastructure are no longer just background systems in conflict – they are increasingly part of the battlefield.
What Breaks First
Targeting systems such as AAE-1, Falcon, the Gulf Bridge International Cable System, SEA-ME-WE and TGN-Gulf would put internet access for millions at risk. In its report, Tasnim said the combined network accounts for 97% of the region’s connectivity.
The consequences would reach far beyond slow web browsing. These cables underpin banking systems, cloud platforms, business operations, logistics networks and essential digital services across the Gulf. They also support critical communications used during emergencies.
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute, tells WIRED Middle East that 17 submarine cable systems carry about 30% of internet traffic between Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
He warns of a “double choke-point effect” if the Gulf and Red Sea face simultaneous disruption.
Part of that vulnerability is historical. To avoid Iranian waters, many routes through the Strait of Hormuz were concentrated into narrow Omani channels. The result is a dense corridor where a single incident – from a rogue anchor to a naval mine – could trigger outsized disruption, echoing the September 2025 Red Sea incident that impacted 17% of global traffic.
The UAE holds one geographic advantage: its main cable landings in Fujairah sit outside the highest-risk corridor. Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait can utilise terrestrial backup routes via Saudi Arabia, but Ulrichsen says these are insufficient.
These land-based networks lack the capacity to handle the massive volume of submarine traffic and remain susceptible to regional conflict.
The Internet Is Physical
Most people imagine the internet as something weightless. It isn’t. Submarine cables are rarely much wider than a garden hose. Inside, hair-thin strands of glass carry laser pulses at hundreds of gigabits per second, sheathed in layers of plastic, steel wire, copper and nylon.