Digital Hormuz: Iran Turns Underwater Cables into a Trump Card Against the US and Israel

The global economy has yet to grasp the main military secret of the Middle East: the next big war will not begin with a strike on oil rigs but with a “silent shutdown” of the internet.

The Hidden Artery: Why the Persian Gulf Matters More Than Wall Street

We are used to thinking that the Strait of Hormuz is a narrow chokepoint for 20% of the world’s oil. But after 2024, that picture is outdated. Today, digital arteries run along the seabed of the strait, through which 99% of intercontinental data and financial transactions worth about $10 trillion are pumped every second.

Key cable systems run through the strait’s waters: AAE-1, FALCON, Gulf Bridge International. Physically, they are less protected than any oil tanker. The materials provided point to a shocking fact: there are about 200 cable-damage incidents worldwide every year, and most are caused not by saboteurs, but by accidentally dropped anchors. But that very “accidental” nature becomes the perfect cover for sabotage in wartime.

The Map as an Ultimatum: Steps by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

On April 22, 2025 (according to the chronology of the source data), an event took place that Western analysts called “Digital Khaibar.” The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published not just an article, but a military manifesto. The piece, titled “Three Practical Steps to Profit from Internet Cables in the Strait of Hormuz,” contained detailed maps of the underwater infrastructure.

This was not a call to destruction. It was an offer of a deal that cannot be refused. Iran declared: “Foreign operators must obtain permits from us and pay a ‘protection fee’ for laying cables in Iranian waters.” Tehran’s demand is based on a unique geographic fact: all the cable infrastructure of the Gulf states (UAE, Bahrain, Qatar) is crammed into a narrow passage right under Iran’s nose. To avoid disputes, cables were laid in Omani waters, but in practice they remain within range of Iranian fast boats and drones.

Hostages of Repair: Alcatel’s “Force Majeure” as a Weapon of Mass Destruction

Iran’s true power is revealed not at the moment of cutting a cable, but at the moment of its repair. An anchor from a passing ship can damage a cable — but if a country blocks or bureaucratically strangles the repair process, it takes the global economy hostage.

The presented data on the operations of the French state-owned company Alcatel Submarine Networks (a contractor for........

© New Eastern Outlook