Source: French to English Tester Published on: 2026-05-17
Source: The Conversation – in French– By Meredith Primrose Jones, Researcher, Oceania Cyber Security Centre, RMIT University More than 95% of global data traffic passes through submarine cables. Laiotz/Shutterstock Iranian threats against the submarine cables of the Strait of Hormuz remind us of a often invisible reality: the internet relies on extremely vulnerable physical infrastructures.
A major cut could disrupt global communications, financial markets, and geopolitical balances.
At the beginning of the week, Iranian state-affiliated media havementioned a projectaiming to make submarine internet cable operators pay a passage fee in the Strait of Hormuz, in the name of what the authorities present as Iranian offshore waters.
This proposal comes after someIranian warningshighlighting that several strategic cables crossing the strait constituted a major vulnerability point for the economies of the Middle East. TheIranian statementsbrutally remind of the existence of a largely invisible infrastructure: the more than 500 submarine cables that carrymore than 95%of global data traffic and form the backbone of the internet — and the globalized economy.
Behind the image of an immaterial internet “in the cloud” lies an extremely strategic but also vulnerable physical network. A fragility that now asserts itself as a major geopolitical issue. Gulfs, straits, and cables Several of the world’s most strategic submarine cable routes pass through the Middle East.
The narrow passages of the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Suez Canal, and the Strait of Hormuz have become true “digital bottlenecks.” These maritime corridors connect the major economic centers of Europe, Asia and Africa.
In 2024, incidents affecting submarine cables in the Red Sea havedisruptedabout 25% of internet traffic between Europe and Asia. The strategic importance of submarine cables does not escape Iran. A cut — accidental or deliberate — to these infrastructures would have considerable consequences.
More broadly, the message is clear: digital infrastructures have become both instruments of geopolitical power and potential targets. Infrastructure that has become strategic In the past, critical infrastructures mainly consisted of oil pipelines, ports, and electrical networks.
Nowadays, data infrastructures hold an equally central place for economic and national security. The main problem with submarine cables lies in their concentration. Many follow the same routes on the seabed and converge towards a very limited number of strategic maritime passages.
This concentration creates major points of vulnerability. A cable cut — intentional or accidental — can simultaneously disrupt the connections of several regions of the world. However, if cable breaks are not uncommon, therepairs are complex, especially in contested or militarized areas.
Ships carrying out repairs require secure access, international coordination, and sometimes considerable time. Fragmentation and rupture of connections A major incident affecting submarine cables could have significant consequences. One of the most immediate effects would be a fragmentation of global connectivity.
This ability, now taken for granted, to communicate instantly with anyone in the world could be severely challenged. Regions heavily dependent on vulnerable cable routes could experience massive internet slowdowns, communication outages, or even financial turbulence.
Countries with limited backup infrastructure — notably in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia — would be particularly exposed. Financial markets are also particularly vulnerable. High-frequency trading systems, global payment networks, and international banking transactions rely on extremely fast and reliable data flows.
Even brief interruptions can cause strong market fluctuations, delay transactions, and fuel investor uncertainty. In a deeply interconnected global economy, localized digital instability can quickly produce financial shockwaves on a global scale.
And if disturbances of the cables coincided with tensions or conflicts along strategic maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz or the Suez Canal, the insurance markets, the shipping sector, and energy supply chains would also face increased uncertainty.
The military domain The military and strategic consequences of a cable cut could be even more serious. The armed forces rely on secure communications over long distances and real-time coordination. Concretely, everything relies on these infrastructures: command systems, drone operations, logistical planning, or coordination between allies all go through submarine cables.
Damage to these networks would reduce the effectiveness of the armed forces, complicate military cooperation, and increase the risk of miscalculations. Cable sabotage also constitutes a particularly ambiguous form of attack. Unlike a conventional military strike, it is difficult to clearly attribute responsibility — as in the case of cable breaks in the Baltic Sea.often attributed to Russia.
The legal framework also remains vague. This ambiguity increases the risk of escalation: states may have difficulty determining whether disturbances are due to an accident, a criminal act, or a genuine act of war. The digital world relies on very real infrastructures The conflict between the United States and Iran has alreadydelayed the constructionnew submarine cables.
He also recalls a broader reality: the foundations of the digital world are physical, concrete — and far from invulnerable. Any deliberate attack or sabotage would not constitute a mere localized incident. The repercussions would be felt on global communications, the economy, and security systems.
Seabeds have become a new area of geopolitical rivalry — and a major disruption could have lasting consequences for global stability.
Meredith Primrose Jones does not work for, advise, hold shares in, receive funding from any organization that could benefit from this article, and has declared no other affiliations than her research body. –ref.
Iran threatens submarine cables, these invisible arteries of the internet –https://theconversation.com/liran-menace-les-cables-sous-marins-ces-arteres-invisibles-dinternet-283126