Strait of Hormuz submarine cable
Iran is seeking to impose fees on tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon for subsea internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, threatening potential disruptions if companies do not comply. While most cables avoid Iranian waters by routing through Oman, a few, including Falcon and GBI, traverse Iran's territorial waters. The move appears to be a strategic effort to leverage Iran's geographic position amid heightened regional tensions, though compliance is complicated by US sanctions.
- ▪Iran plans to charge global tech companies for subsea cable usage in the Strait of Hormuz.
- ▪State-linked media have issued vague threats about disrupting cable traffic if fees are not paid.
- ▪Most subsea cables in the strait avoid Iranian waters by routing through Oman.
- ▪Two cables, Falcon and Gulf Bridge International, do pass through Iranian territorial waters.
- ▪US sanctions make it difficult for companies to legally pay fees to Iran.
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window.CNN.contentModel.leadingMediaType = 'image'; window.CNN.contentModel.isVideoCollection = false; Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, on May 1. Reuters The Middle East Asia See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Threads Link Copied! Follow Emboldened by its successful wartime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is turning to one of the hidden arteries in the global economy: subsea cables beneath the waterway that carry vast internet and financial traffic between Europe, Asia and the Persian Gulf. The Islamic Republic wants to charge the world’s largest tech companies for using the subsea internet cables laid under the Strait of Hormuz, and state-linked media outlets have vaguely threatened that traffic could be disrupted if firms don’t pay.
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