Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to impose permit requirements on submarine fibre-optic cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, raising serious questions about the security of critical global data infrastructure and the stability of international maritime law in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive waterways.
The cables running through the Strait of Hormuz form a significant part of the connectivity backbone for Gulf nations and beyond. Among the major connections traversing the region is a branch of the AAE-1 cable system, which links Hong Kong to Italy and France, while the Falcon and Gulf Bridge cables connect Gulf countries, including Iran itself, with India and eastern Africa as far as Egypt. Alan Mauldin, research director at specialist data firm TeleGeography, described the scope of traffic carried by these cables as covering all categories of digital activity, from video streaming and email to financial transactions and government communications. While the potential for global disruption is somewhat contained given that data flowing between Asia and Europe on AAE-1 does not pass via the Gulf branch, Mauldin cautioned in an earlier analysis that terrestrial networks may lack the capacity to fully absorb rerouted traffic if the Gulf’s subsea connections were severed. Qatar, which hosts the AAE-1 Gulf terminal, would be among the most exposed to any disruption.
From a military standpoint, the Strait of Hormuz presents unique vulnerabilities for undersea infrastructure. Eric Lavault, a former French naval officer, noted that the strait’s enclosed geography and relatively shallow waters make it particularly suitable for what he described as harassment operations using manned or unmanned systems. Iran’s extended Gulf coastline and its retained military capabilities mean that interference with cables, whether through direct physical damage or by preventing maintenance and repair vessels from operating, remains a credible threat. The situation is further complicated by limited repair capacity in the region, with only one repair vessel currently stationed in the Gulf, owned by UAE-based e-Marine. Repair ships require permits to enter national waters and must remain stationary for extended periods during operations, making them potentially exposed to further pressure.
On the question of legal standing, Iran’s position is on uncertain ground. The cables running through the Strait of Hormuz were deliberately laid in Omani waters to avoid Iranian territorial claims, though Tehran has asserted absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil of its territorial sea. Iran is a signatory to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits the laying of cables and pipelines within exclusive economic zones without the right of coastal states to object, though Iran never formally ratified the treaty, placing it in the same position as the United States in that regard. Lavault warned that any move by Iran to act on its permit threats would call international law into question and risk fracturing what he described as a fundamental pillar of the legal framework governing maritime conduct globally.
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