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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