Tehran:The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran has said that important digital infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, like undersea internet cables and cloud networks, could be attacked as tensions rise and the ceasefire is shaky.
Reports from media linked to the IRGC stress the region's digital backbone's strategic importance and vulnerability, suggesting that systems that support global connectivity may become involved in the conflict.
How important Hormuz is for the internet and communicationThe Strait of Hormuz is not only an important oil route for the whole world, but it is also an important route for submarine communication cables that carry internet and data traffic between continents.
Reports linked to the IRGC have found these undersea cables and related cloud infrastructure in countries like the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, which makes them potential points of pressure.
Any kind of disruption could cause widespread internet outages and have a big effect on businesses, government operations, and financial systems in many areas.
A ceasefire that isn't very strongEven though there is a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, tensions are still high. The conflict is now affecting more than just military targets; it is also affecting data centers and digital infrastructure.
Undersea cables are the main way that people around the world talk to each other. They are especially vulnerable because they go through narrow maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz.
Experts say that even small damage to a few important cables could make it very hard for people in the Middle East and beyond to connect to the internet, since the region relies heavily on these routes.
Ships hit in Hormuz as the blockade goes onOn Wednesday, Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and took two of them. This made its campaign against shipping in the important waterway even worse. The attacks happened the day after Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while the US kept blocking Iranian ports.
The standoff between the US and Iran has effectively blocked most exports through the strait, which normally handles about 20% of the world's traded oil. There is no clear end in sight. Iranian media said the Revolutionary Guard was taking the two ships to Iran, which was a sign of more trouble. The White House, on the other hand, said the seizures did not break the ceasefire terms.
The war has already made gas prices go up a lot more than they were before, and it has also made food and many other things more expensive. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose above $100 per barrel, a 35% increase from before the conflict. Stock markets, on the other hand, seemed mostly unaffected.