Deep under the sea of the Straits, another stream of the world economy

Iran is considering a new way to strengthen its economic and geopolitical influence through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important sea crossings, and the focus is now on underwater internet cables connecting Europe, Asia and the Persian Gulf countries.

According to foreign media reports, Iranian officials and Revolutionary Guard-affiliated media have announced the possibility of introducing tariffs on companies technology to use submarine cables that pass under the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Iran would “impose taxes on Internet cables,” while media outlets close to the authorities stated that companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon would have to comply with Iranian laws and pay licenses to pass the cables.

At the same time, veiled threats emerged that submarine cables could be harmed if companies refuse to cooperate.

Undersea cables represent the key infrastructure of the modern Internet and global economy because most of the world’s Internet and financial traffic passes through them. Their potential damage could cause serious disruptions to the banking sector, military communications, cloud services, online business and international trade, reports CNN.

Experts warn that an attack on this infrastructure could cause a “digital catastrophe” in some parts of the world.

According to researchers, most of the international cables in the region are deliberately placed along the coast of Oman to avoid Iranian territorial waters, but some cables still pass through the territory. Iranian.

Analysts believe that Iran is trying to show how much strategic power it has over the Strait of Hormuz, especially after war tensions and growing fears of ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Strait of Hormuz has long been recognized as one of the most important routes for transporting oil and gas, but now Tehran is trying to use its geographic position to control digital infrastructure. Western experts warn that possible outages could particularly affect the Gulf countries, India, parts of Africa and financial flows between Europe and Asia.

They also recall that in 2024, the disruption of three underwater cables in the Red Sea caused major problems with internet traffic in the region after an attack linked to Yemen’s Houthis.

Although experts say that the cables through The Strait of Hormuz accounts for less than one percent of the world’s total Internet capacity, they warn that coordinated attacks or more serious failures could have far-reaching consequences for the global economy and communications.

Iran justifies its plans with international law and refers to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, arguing that states have the right to regulate cables that pass through their territorial waters. /square

Source: prizrenpost