Iran plans to target Gulf undersea cables if attacked again, officials say

Iran has detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel attack again, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters, warning of prolonged disruptions to internet connections. The officials, speaking anonymously, said Iran would aim to prevent repairs after any attacks to extend outages, with one warning that "there will be no more red lines" from cables to military bases. The threats follow warnings that undersea cables could become targets if diplomacy with Washington collapses. Undersea cables carry about 99% of global internet traffic, though less than 1% of international bandwidth passes through the Strait of Hormuz, limiting global impact. Analysts say the threats aim to pressure Gulf states and US companies, while the Red Sea could offer a more significant target if Iran had Houthi support.