Ships Linger Over Gulf Cables as Iran Threatens Targets

At least four Iran-linked vessels took unusual routes and lingered over undersea communications cables in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian officials, meanwhile, threatened to target digital infrastructure if the United States and Israel launch further strikes against Iran. The movements raise suspicions of possible mapping or preparations to place explosives or naval mines, but the Financial Times report doesn’t establish that the ships carried out either operation.

The routes and the threat

Data collected by Israeli maritime intelligence company Windward showed that three vessels were oil tankers subject to U.S. sanctions; the fourth was a small Iranian fishing boat. The fishing boat remained above the Europe India Gateway and Transworld cables from Oct. 21 to 26. The tankers slowed over several cable routes, including 2Africa, designed to connect several Gulf countries to a system extending through the Red Sea and along Africa's eastern coast. The vessels also operated near the Falcon cable, which links Gulf countries to India and Africa.

Windward said the ships' movements differed significantly from those of other vessels in the area. “They sailed normally until they reached a specific cable corridor, and only then slowed, looped, turned back, loitered or went dark,” the company told the Financial Times. It said the behavior “fits the profile of mapping the cable routes, or placing charges or mines on them while dark.” Two tankers were empty, and all four vessels switched off their tracking systems at various points during the past month. Those details describe suspicious movement, not proof of an attack plan.

The oil tanker Celestial Sea circled the 2Africa cable for slightly more than four hours on Oct. 14. The following day, it disabled its tracking system between the 2Africa cable and the Bay of Bengal Gateway, which connects the United Arab Emirates and Oman with Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India. Four days later, it changed direction while passing over the cable route, then anchored off Shinas, a port city in northern Oman. Glory International FZ, the company that owns the tanker, didn’t respond to the Financial Times' request for comment.

Threats from officials, risk for civilians

Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened regional digital infrastructure over the past month in response to statements by President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. officials about possible renewed military strikes against Iran. On Oct. 19, Hossein Mohabbi, a spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, referred to cables through the Strait of Hormuz. “Seven major undersea internet cables run through the Strait of Hormuz, carrying all commercial and internet data,” Mohabbi said. “We just want [the U.S.] to realise that new targets and new weapons shall be unveiled. And ultimately, we shall sweep the remnants of U.S. power out of the region.”

A week earlier, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, threatened digital infrastructure, saying, “Data centers and artificial intelligence facilities will be destroyed.” Later in October, Yadollah Javani, the Revolutionary Guard's deputy commander for political affairs, warned that assets including internet cables would be targeted in retaliation for strikes against Iranian infrastructure. Officials make the threats and may order military strikes; people and businesses that depend on the networks would bear the cost of damaged connections.

Telecommunications research company TeleGeography says six undersea communications cables currently pass through the Strait of Hormuz, with three more—Fibre in Gulf, Sea-Me-We 6 and 2Africa—under construction. Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar depend entirely on connections beneath the strait for international internet connectivity. A disruption could affect domestic communications, financial transactions, cloud computing, online commerce and other digital services.

A strategic warning with uncertain intent

Sidharth Kaushal, a naval warfare specialist at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said the unusual movements could be coincidental. He also suggested Iran might be demonstrating its capacity to threaten undersea infrastructure in another conflict. “Iran might be trying to demonstrate its capacity to damage undersea infrastructure if there is a war,” Kaushal said. John Pentreath, a retired rear admiral in Britain's Royal Navy, said, “Pretty much any vessel can launch mines.” He added that such operations would generally require modifications, including specialized rails or other equipment for deploying mines.

Windward employs approximately 120 people, most of them in Israel. American investment firm FTV Capital acquired the company in 2024 in a deal valued at $270 million. Its findings rely on maritime positioning data and satellite imagery; the report presents them as an assessment of vessel behavior, not a confirmed discovery of explosives or mines.

Masha Kotkin, a former U.S. State Department official and fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Gulf's expanding digital economy relies on submarine fiber-optic networks. Artificial intelligence operations, cloud computing services and data centers in Gulf countries depend on the cables for international connectivity. Damage could mean “slower internet [and] financial transactions” and “disrupt communications networks, ecommerce and cloud computing,” Kotkin said. She added that security threats in the Gulf had already led to construction work being suspended on several submarine cable projects.