Iran threatens to target Internet cables below Hormuz.. “We have new targets”

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For the second time within hours, Iran threatened to target technological infrastructure linked to the United States in the region if attacks on it resumed, in a threat that includes submarine Internet cables.

A spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard issued a veiled warning about the Internet cables extending under the Strait of Hormuz, noting that 7 main cables pass through the Strait, and the Internet and commercial data traffic in the world depend on them.

He also explained that “America knows that there are new targets,” referring to the strategic importance of these cables, and the repercussions that their exposure to targeting may have on global communications and data movement.

This came after Tehran had hinted at the possibility of targeting Internet cables, data centers, and artificial intelligence facilities linked to the United States in the region, if they were subjected to a new attack.

The Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, said in an interview with Press TV that the United States has placed valuable technological assets in West Asia, including data centers and artificial intelligence facilities, adding: “We have not yet included these assets among our goals. But if war breaks out, many of these cables, data centers, artificial intelligence facilities, and many other sites will be destroyed.”

These threats come in conjunction with the faltering negotiations between Washington and Tehran, while the Pakistani army commander, Asim Munir, visits the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday, to hold discussions with Iranian officials as part of Islamabad’s efforts to revive mediation between the two parties.

The Iranian "Tasnim" agency reported that the visit would address Pakistan's role in mediation between Iran and the United States, in addition to bilateral cooperation, issues of common interest and regional developments, without providing additional details regarding the mediation path.

The visit comes as Tehran confirms the continuation of a proposal that it had previously conveyed to Washington through mediators, which includes opening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.

On the other hand, US President Donald Trump announced his rejection of the Iranian proposal, saying that he was no longer interested in this issue, after the American forces were able to secure navigation and the movement of ships in this vital waterway, as he put it.

Despite the declared American rejection, the mediators continue their efforts to bring the viewpoints between the two parties closer, seeking to reach an agreement to end the conflict that broke out on February 28, and led to widespread disturbances in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.