Tasnim: Undersea cable disruption in Strait of Hormuz threatens digital catastrophe

Damage to seven major internet backbone cables running along the floor of the Strait of Hormuz could cut off internet access across all Gulf states, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Citing what it described as a historical precedent from 2008, when the rupture of two Mediterranean cables reduced regional internet traffic by 70%, the agency warned that similar disruption could again affect Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.

Tasnim said countries in the southern Persian Gulf depend on undersea cables for more than 90% of their connectivity, warning of what it called a “digital catastrophe” and multi-billion-dollar losses in the event of simultaneous damage to multiple lines. Such disruptions, it noted, could impact financial transactions and even halt stock exchanges.

“Iran receives 60–70% of its traffic via terrestrial routes through Türkiye, Armenia, and Azerbaijan,” the report added.

Describing the Strait of Hormuz as not only a key artery for global oil and gas shipments but also a critical digital corridor, Tasnim cited data from TeleGeography and the Submarine Networks database.

According to those figures, at least seven major submarine cable systems pass through the strait, including Falcon, AAE-1, Gulf Bridge International (with a backup branch via Iraq), Tata TGN-Gulf carrying significant corporate traffic, Oman-Iran connecting Iranian ports Chabahar and Jask with Oman, the SEA-ME-WE 5 cable (inactive due to Red Sea issues), and 2Africa—Meta’s largest project, which was frozen in March at the “last mile” stage.

The agency also noted that more than 97% of global data traffic is transmitted through physical fiber-optic cables “about the thickness of a human arm” laid at depths of up to 8 kilometers.

By Jeyhun Aghazada