Iran issues chilling threat to cut 'all the world's internet'

Iran issues chilling threat to cut 'all the world's internet'

Catherine Mackinlay

Iran has issued a chilling warning to the world over crucial internet cables running under the Strait of Hormuz as tensions with the US skyrocket once again. A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said: "Seven major cables have passed under the Strait of Hormuz, all of which the world's internet and commercial data depend on; we are reminding them of this so that the enemy knows." The spokesperson, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebi, also issued a separate warning on social media, posting what appeared to be an AI-generated image of a missile alongside the message: "The world will see what will happen."

Mohebi was appointed as the IRGC's spokesperson earlier this year, replacing Ali-Mohammad Naeini. The warning comes amid mounting threats from Tehran against vital digital infrastructure across the Middle East, with underwater fibre-optic cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities all identified as potential targets.

Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a former commander of the IRGC, warned earlier this month that the infrastructure could come within Iran's range if conflict erupts again.

He said: "If war breaks out again, the many undersea cables, data centers, and AI facilities in the region worth $2trillion will come within our range."

Rezaee also warned that Iran was prepared to demonstrate "new strike capabilities", before writing on X the following day: "If the enemy makes its next mistake against Iran, it will bring a new front and a bigger surprise."

Iran's threats against digital infrastructure have been building for months. In March, the IRGC reportedly identified cloud infrastructure belonging to Google, Microsoft and Oracle as potential targets, before later naming 17 US firms including Google, Meta and Apple.

The comments were also backed by Iranian hardliners, with Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the conservative Kayhan newspaper and a representative of the country's supreme leader, arguing that seven major international undersea cables running through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz should be used as a "pressure tool".

Undersea fibre-optic cables carry the vast majority of data travelling between continents, with crucial routes concentrated around a number of maritime chokepoints.

Security expert Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King's College London, has warned that the cables are "difficult to protect continuously" and disruption can affect several countries simultaneously.

Three cables were damaged in the Red Sea in February 2024, most likely by the anchor of a stricken cargo ship, with repairs taking months. Two more were cut near Jeddah in September 2025, slowing internet access across parts of the Middle East and South Asia.

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Russia-Iran: Lavrov Meets With Iranian Security Council Chief – Russian Foreign Ministry

Lavrov Meets With Iranian Security Council Chief – Russian Foreign Ministry

Sputnik

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei," the ministry said on Telegram.

During the talks, Rezaei welcomed Moscow’s initiatives to expand multilateral cooperation, stressing that closer ties between Russia and Iran would help strengthen regional stability and support economic development. 

He pointed to joint infrastructure projects, particularly the completion of strategic transport corridors, as a practical way to achieve these goals. 

Rezaei also emphasized that lasting peace and stability in the region depend on sustained cooperation among regional countries.

U.S. issues rare security warning for Americans in these 12 Mideast countries

U.S. issues rare security warning for Americans in these 12 Mideast countries

Jillian Butler, Daily Caller News Foundation

U.S. embassies across the Middle East issued identical red alert security warnings on Monday, advising American citizens to exercise extreme vigilance.

American citizens in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen and Iran received these warnings, Euronews reported. The security alerts stemmed from risks pertaining to the Iran war and the escalating Houthi situation

"Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the U.S and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions," the alert warned.

The alert also warned U.S. citizens of travel disruptions including flight cancellation and airspace closures due to a risk of military escalation associated with the Yemeni Houthis and the Iran War, according to Euronews.

Qatar Airways announced Monday that it will suspend its Saudi Arabia-bound flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam until Oct. 24  and reduced their flights to Jeddah from seven to four flights per day, the outlet reported.

"Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions," the U.S Embassy in Saudi Arabia cautioned in a Monday X post.

"The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area," the alert warned, before urging citizens to, "develop contingency plans in advance."

Typically, the State Department issues local and country specific warnings. A wide coordinated warning like this is unusual and indicative of potentially severe escalations in instability. Additionally, countries such as Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia are typically considered stable regions.

Italy to dispatch 500 troops to 'defend Milan' after protests and looting

Italy to dispatch 500 troops to 'defend Milan' after protests and looting

Elisa Anzolin

Italy's government will dispatch 500 army troops to "defend Milan" after two days of unrest that saw demonstrators clash with police, loot shops and vandalise property.

The troop deployment, announced Monday by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, is expected to form part of a package of security measures to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Luxury stores on Milan's Via Montenapoleone cleared their windows Monday and shut early, bracing for a return of the violence that hit the city over the weekend.

Brands including Chanel, Tiffany and Dior took merchandise out of their displays as a precaution while police patrolled the street, where a handful of tourists looked on.

"From words to action: 500 more troops to defend Milan," Salvini, head of the co-ruling right-wing League party, wrote on social media.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who faces a national election next year, condemned the violence. She chaired a meeting with ministers and security chiefs on Monday to discuss the situation.

"The government will respond firmly to these attacks on the state, including through measures aimed at curbing violence by minors," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who also serves as deputy prime minister like Salvini, wrote on X.

Corriere della Sera newspaper said Meloni was considering extending preventive detention for minors and cracking down on youth gangs as part of the planned crackdown. The measures would bring forward some provisions contained in an existing security bill currently being examined by parliament.

The weekend trouble began as an initially peaceful demonstration on Saturday over poor public services and rising costs. However, several hundred hooded protesters, many believed to be minors, then set bins ablaze and looted shops in the city centre.

Ransacked stores included sports retailers Decathlon and Arc'teryx and mobile phone operator Vodafone. Clothing brands Levi's and Under Armour, as well as Decathlon, covered their shop windows with cardboard and wooden panels in fear of more violence.

The unrest followed clashes on Saturday in Milan and other northern cities including Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin, where 28 protesters were arrested, according to a police report released on Sunday.

The disturbances echoed unrest in neighbouring France, where hundreds of thousands of people angered by rising living costs and declining public services took to the streets on Saturday in some of the country's most violent protests in years.

Europe Braces For A Winter Energy Crisis As Gas Reserves Run Low

Europe Braces For A Winter Energy Crisis As Gas Reserves Run Low

Felicity Bradstock via OilPrice,

• Europe faces another expensive winter as low gas reserves and Middle East disruptions drive up energy prices. 

• Rising fuel costs threaten household budgets, industrial production, and employment across Europe. 

• Increased U.S. LNG supplies could provide some relief, but continued geopolitical risks leave energy markets vulnerable.A recent forecast by the Item Club suggested that in the United Kingdom, as many as 163,000 jobs could be lost in 2026 in relation to the war, mainly in manufacturing-heavy regions such as South Wales and the Humber region. As one of Europe's biggest gas consumers, the U.K. is highly exposed to trade restrictions, particularly because it has one of the lowest levels of domestic storage capacity, which means it relies heavily on pipeline imports from Europe and tankers from the U.S. and the Middle East. The CEO of British Gas owner Centrica, Chris O'Shea, said in August that Britain had "almost no gas in storage" for the coming winter.

  Both households and businesses across Europe could be hit hard this winter by the continued constraints on oil and gas supplies and high energy prices. This could force consumers to ration their consumption and may prompt the European Commission and governments to intervene to ensure consumers have access to vital energy supplies.

After months of elevated energy prices, Europe can expect fuel costs to continue rising through the winter months as demand grows. Ongoing energy trade constraints and threats to energy infrastructure across the Middle East are expected to limit global energy supplies and continue to drive up prices, hitting consumers hard unless governments intervene.

The European Union (EU) is thought to have paid an additional €100 billion on oil and gas so far this year, prompting EU ministers to seek ways to manage the impact of high fuel prices. Since 2022, the extra costs of energy have surpassed €900 billion, even as total demand has fallen. The price of natural gas in Europe has more than doubled since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli-led war in Iran. This winter could be the most challenging in terms of energy supplies and prices since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions on Russian energy.

Meanwhile, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen has warned that the winter months could be challenging amid "very high" oil and gas prices, although he reassured consumers that no supply issues are expected. Jorgensen also proposed postponing the introduction of rules to reduce methane emissions on energy imports to help ease pressure on European energy markets.

Gas storage has fallen to its lowest level since 2022. In September, across Europe, gas storage stood at around 67 per cent full, compared with a seasonal average of around 80 per cent. Germany, which has the largest storage capacity in Europe, is roughly half full, and is expected to miss its official 80 per cent storage target this year.

Meanwhile, constrained supplies due to strict limits on energy trade through the Strait of Hormuz have sharply driven up energy prices. Oil prices increased by 65 per cent, diesel by 45 per cent, and jet fuel by 112 per cent between September 25, 2025 and 2026. This has led the European Commission to call for consumers to reduce their demand throughout the year to manage supplies.

As Europe heads into its high-demand winter months, there is no end to the war in Iran in sight. In addition, the El Niño weather cycle is expected to add an element of uncertainty to weather trends, which could further complicate the gas demand picture. Threats remain to fuel shipments traversing the Strait of Hormuz, as well as ongoing threats to energy infrastructure across the Middle East. Meanwhile, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and against pipelines continue to be a concern. Therefore, there are likely to be restrictions on global oil trade well into 2027.

The United States has focused on increasing oil and gas production to help alleviate some of the energy supply chain constraints, but this can only partly fill the gap. Atlantic and Pacific freight rates have returned to pre-Iran war levels, as a larger share of cargoes from the United States is heading to Europe rather than Asia, thereby reducing travel distances and increasing ship availability.

Across Europe, it is not only households that are concerned about their energy bills, as several industries prepare for fuel shortages. Higher fuel prices are driving up operating costs in factories and other facilities, which could lead companies to charge more for manufactured goods, as costs will once again shift to consumers. Meanwhile, companies that cannot secure or afford adequate fuel supplies may be forced to suspend operations in the winter, leading to job cuts.