WASHINGTON: Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated again after President Donald Trump suggested he could order another military strike on Iran, similar to Operation Epic Fury, the US-Israeli campaign launched in late February. Speaking at an event in Florida on Friday, Trump indicated that fresh action was possible. The remarks, coming weeks before the November midterm elections, drew immediate international attention.
Iran responded by saying it would not stand by if attacked by the US or Israel. Iranian security officials warned that any strike on Iranian territory would be met with retaliation against the seven major fibre-optic cables running beneath the Strait of Hormuz. They said Iran would cut the cables and obstruct their repair if its infrastructure were targeted.
Undersea fibre-optic cables carry about 99 percent of the world’s international internet traffic. Technical experts note that less than one percent of global data passes through Hormuz, so severing the cables there would not shut down the global internet. Analysts say it would, however, seriously disrupt banking, online payments, cloud services and digital communications across the Middle East.
Foreign ministers of Turkey, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia reportedly held emergency consultations. Turkey warned that new strikes could widen the conflict into Asia and Europe, and said dialogue was the only path to a settlement. France cautioned that renewed attacks would send global oil prices sharply higher.
The threat also puts Gulf technology ambitions at risk. Gulf states are investing heavily in data centres and artificial intelligence infrastructure, which depend on secure connectivity, and experts say any attack on the cables would be a major setback for that effort.