Iran-Linked Ships Shadow Gulf Subsea Cables After Threats, FT Reports

At least four Iran-linked vessels spent days loitering over subsea cables in the Gulf of Oman, shortly after Tehran threatened to attack digital infrastructure in the region. Maritime analytics company Windward tracked the ships taking unusual routes over critical fiber routes between October 21 and 26, the Financial Times reported.

The activity follows explicit threats from Iran to strike cables and data centers if the US and Israel launch a fresh bombing campaign against the country. Three of the tracked vessels were tankers under US sanctions, according to the FT. The fourth was a small Iranian fishing craft that hovered over two specific systems: the Europe India Gateway cable and the Transworld cable.

Why do these cables matter so much?

The stakes for regional connectivity are unusually high. Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar depend entirely on cables running under the Strait for their Internet connectivity, so a single cut could sever several countries from the global network.

Seven subsea cables currently run through the Strait of Hormuz, with three more under construction. Those builds have been delayed by the ongoing war with Iran. One delayed system is 2Africa, Meta's 45,000-kilometer (28,000-mile) cable. The company paused work on a section of 2Africa in March because of the conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz itself has been blocked by Iran since the war with the US and Israel began in late February, adding physical risk to a route that already carries the region's commercial and consumer data traffic.

What exactly did Iran threaten?

The vessel activity lands against a backdrop of escalating rhetoric. Iran has said it could target subsea cables and data centers running through the Strait in response to President Donald Trump's suggestions that the US might launch further attacks.

"Seven major undersea Internet cables run through the Strait of Hormuz, carrying all commercial and Internet data. We just want [the US] to realize that new targets and new weapons shall be unveiled. And ultimately, we shall sweep the remnants of US power out of the region," said Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, on October 19.

The threat is not purely rhetorical. Since the conflict began in February, Iran has targeted data center infrastructure in neighboring Gulf countries, including facilities operated by Oracle and Amazon Web Services. In April, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps named 18 major US tech companies located in the Middle East as "legitimate targets."

Iran's own infrastructure has not been spared either. Data centers inside the country have been hit during the war, making the digital layer of the conflict a two-way theater.

How is the US responding?

The US has increased its military presence in the region since the escalation. This week, satellite images reportedly showed the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea traveling toward Singapore, a movement that could add a third carrier to the two already stationed in the Middle East.

For cable operators and hyperscalers, the immediate question is redundancy. With Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar fully reliant on the Strait's cable corridor, and new builds including 2Africa stalled since March, the region's alternatives remain limited until construction resumes or traffic reroutes around the threat corridor.