We will arrange a "sweet life" for you: Iran said it would leave half the world without the Internet

Iran has said it can leave half the world without Internet by publishing a detailed map of underwater Internet cables running along the bottom of the Strait of Hormuz, thereby making it clear that they are within reach of its Navy. This is reported by the Tasnim agency.

The map shows the location of at least seven large underwater Internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which carry more than 97% of the global Internet traffic needed for e-commerce, cloud services and communications.

The agency did not just mention the cables, but published a detailed diagram with their routes, emphasizing that this infrastructure can be easily destroyed.

The message explicitly calls the strait "a vulnerable place for the digital economy of the Persian Gulf countries." Seven major cable systems, such as AAE-1, FALCON and Gulf Bridge International, pass through this narrow corridor.

These cables are laid at a relatively shallow depth (up to 200 meters), which technically makes them accessible to sabotage groups, for example, units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It is noted that although the 97% estimate in the message may refer to traffic within the region, about 99% of all international Internet traffic is transmitted globally via these cables. Because a critical share of data connecting Europe, Asia and Africa passes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea — up to 30% of global traffic.

The big tech giants (Amazon, Microsoft, Google) have invested billions in data centers in the Persian Gulf, and these cables are the only "backbone" connecting these centers to the rest of the world.

In February 2024 in Three submarine cables (including SMW4 and IMEWE) have already been damaged in the Red Sea. Then the Internet traffic between Asia and Europe fell by 25%, and the repair took five months.

Thus, if Iran carries out the threat, not just video calls will suffer, but also banking transactions, the work of exchanges and cloud services.

In addition, the restoration of submarine cables in the combat zone is technically extremely difficult. Specialized vessels will need permission to enter the conflict zone and ensure security, which in war conditions can stretch the restoration of communication for months.

This step by Iran looks like a clear signal to the Gulf countries and their allies: the escalation of the conflict will strike not only at the oil, but also at the digital infrastructure of the region, to which Tehran has physical access.