Tasnim News Agency, a media outlet close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has published a map showing submarine internet cables and cloud infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz. The publication, reported on April 23, 2026, is being viewed as an implicit warning to Gulf Arab states whose digital communications depend on these routes.

According to Tasnim’s report, the Strait of Hormuz is not only a vital energy supply route but also a key corridor for submarine cables. The report warned that accidental or deliberate damage to several major cables could cause severe internet outages across the Persian Gulf region.

The main internet cables of countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia pass through this strait. The region has previously experienced disruptions due to cable cuts in the Red Sea, and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have also issued threats regarding cables in the past.