Ships loiter near subsea cables amid Iran's warnings to Trump
Iran threatened to attack subsea cables if US escalates military strikes again.
Several tankers linked to Iran have been lingering near subsea Internet cables in the Gulf of Oman, possibly as a sign of Iranian readiness to attack such infrastructure in response to any renewed US and Israeli military strikes. The maritime intelligence firm Windward has tracked three sanctioned tankers and an Iranian fishing boat near major undersea cables in October, according to the Financial Times.
Six active cables currently traverse the Strait of Hormuz, linking the Middle East to Europe, Africa and Asia. Two more cables have segments under construction in the region. Four countries - Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar - depend entirely on these undersea telecommunications connections to link with the outside world. However, other nations also rely heavily on the region's undersea cable network; one third of India's westbound Internet traffic passes through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
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