Tehran: Iran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea fibre-optic cables beneath the Gulf if the United States and Israel attack it again, two senior Iranian security officials have told Reuters. One official said Tehran would also seek to prevent repairs, potentially prolonging disruptions.

The cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz carry less than 1 per cent of the world’s international internet bandwidth. A strike there would therefore be unlikely to seriously disrupt the global internet. However, multiple simultaneous cuts could slow internet access, online payments, e-commerce and cloud services across the Gulf for weeks, analysts said.

Undersea cables carry about 99 per cent of international internet traffic, according to the International Telecommunication Union. Several major systems pass through the strait, including Asia-Africa-Europe 1, FALCON and Gulf Bridge International, connecting the Gulf with India, Sri Lanka, East Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia.

Repairing damaged cables during a conflict could prove difficult. Only around 20 specialised ships worldwide are primarily assigned to cable repairs, while operators must secure permits, insurance and safe access to territorial waters. Repairs took an average of 51 days in 2024, although work in waters shallower than 1,500 metres can take one to three days once a vessel reaches the site.

The Red Sea could offer Iran a larger potential target, particularly with support from Yemen’s Houthis, although Tehran has made no public threat against cables there. In early 2024, three Red Sea cables were damaged after a cargo ship struck by the Houthis dragged its anchor across them.

India, which has around 17 submarine cables landing at 14 stations, could also face rerouting delays if Gulf routes are disrupted.