IRAN THREATENS TO CUT SUBMARINE INTERNET CABLES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, AND THE WORLD SHOULD PAY ATTENTION
99% of global internet traffic doesn't travel by satellite. It flows through physical fiber-optic cables laid on the ocean floor. And right now, those cables run through two active war zones: the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, both closed to commercial traffic simultaneously for the first time in history.
The Red Sea alone carries 17 submarine cables handling most data traffic between Europe, Asia, and Africa. Additional cables cross the Strait of Hormuz connecting Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar to the world. Combined, roughly 17% of global internet traffic flows through these two routes.
Iran has threatened to attack IT infrastructure belonging to the U.S. and its allies in the region if its energy grid is struck. The Houthis already proved it's possible: they cut Red Sea cables in 2024, causing massive disruptions across the Middle East and South Asia.
The worst part: specialized repair ships cannot operate in war zones. If cables are severed, repairs could take weeks or months. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have billions invested in Gulf data centers that depend on this infrastructure.
Banking, financial markets, cloud services, communications, and AI systems all depend on these cables. There is no immediate "Plan B." Meta has already paused expansion of its 2Africa Pearls megacable in the region.
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