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Geopolitics · Middle East

Iran warns Gulf cable links could be cut if US and Israel strike again

After the United States and Israel resumed attacks on Iran, Tehran threatened to sever undersea internet cables in the Gulf if the attacks continue. Donald Trump raised the possibility of another US operation at a Florida rally, while Iran's warning also referred to military bases.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 7 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 2 of 7 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 9 entries
7 outlets4 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Mostly RightL 0 · C 1 · R 4 · 2 unrated
Updat3 graphic: Iran
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • Iran threatened undersea internet cables in the Gulf if Washington and Israel resume attacks (per mathrubhumi.com, businesstoday.in).
  • Iran threatened to sever Gulf internet cables in connection with renewed US and Israeli attacks (per The Jerusalem Post, businesstoday.in, mathrubhumi.com).
  • An unnamed speaker warned that if Iran is attacked, there would be “no more red lines” involving undersea cables and military bases, including covert bases (per businesstoday.in, mathrubhumi.com).
  • Donald Trump spoke at a Florida rally on Friday about the possibility of another US military operation against Iran, without specifying when it might occur (per businesstoday.in, mathrubhumi.com).
  • Alex Vatanka said Tehran wants Gulf states and corporate executives to press Trump over risks to their investment plans (per businesstoday.in, mathrubhumi.com).

The brief

Iran has threatened undersea internet cables in the Gulf if Washington and Israel resume attacks, while an unnamed speaker warned that an attack on Iran would leave “no more red lines” involving cables and military bases, including covert ones.

The warning places cable infrastructure among the targets named in the threat, but the sources do not identify who made the statement or describe any cable damage. The warning is set against the prospect of further US military action. At a rally in Florida on Friday, Donald Trump said, “We may do another little Epic Fury,” referring to the US military's name for the war.

Trump did not give a date or details for another operation. The excerpts do not establish that the United States or Israel had resumed attacks at the time of his remarks; they describe the cable threat conditionally, in the event that attacks resume. Trump had previously indicated that the United States would not launch another attack before the November 3 midterm elections.

His remarks at the rally raised the possibility of another operation without saying whether that earlier timing would change. Iran's conditional warning and Trump's comments therefore describe possible future actions rather than a confirmed new strike or a completed attack on internet infrastructure.

The threatened infrastructure matters because undersea cables carry about 99 per cent of global internet traffic, a figure attributed in the coverage to the International Telecommunication Union. But the share of international bandwidth crossing the Strait of Hormuz is much smaller: Alan Mauldin of TeleGeography said it is less than 1 per cent.

The two figures describe different measures—the cables' share of global traffic and the portion of international bandwidth routed through Hormuz. The assessments also emphasize different aspects of the threat.

Mathrubhumi reports the conditional warning about Gulf cables and a possible US operation; Business Today includes the warning about military bases and cites Mauldin's estimate for Hormuz. Business Today also quotes analyst Alex Vatanka saying Tehran wants Gulf states and corporate executives to press Trump over potential risks to their investment plans.

That is Vatanka's assessment of the intended pressure, not a stated policy objective from an identified Iranian official. The immediate issue is whether Washington or Israel resumes attacks and whether Iran then acts on its warning.

Trump has not specified when another US operation might take place, and the reported November 3 election cutoff is the only concrete timing he had previously offered. The accounts describe threats and political remarks, not an attack on Gulf cables or a confirmed decision to launch another operation.

Why it matters

  • Gulf states and corporate executives have a stated stake in investment plans that could face perceived risks; analyst Alex Vatanka says Tehran wants them to press Trump over those risks.
  • Cable infrastructure carries about 99 per cent of global internet traffic, so a threat to Gulf links concerns a system with extensive communications use.
  • The Strait of Hormuz carries less than 1 per cent of international bandwidth, according to TeleGeography's Alan Mauldin, a distinction that narrows the specific route's share of that traffic.
  • The warning also names military bases, including covert ones, alongside undersea cables as infrastructure covered by the threat.

What to watch next

  • Whether the United States or Israel resumes attacks on Iran, the condition stated in Iran's cable threat.
  • Whether Iran acts on the warning about Gulf undersea cables or military bases.
  • Whether Trump provides a date or details for the possible US operation he raised at the Florida rally.
  • Whether the United States launches another attack before the November 3 midterm elections, the cutoff Trump had previously indicated.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
7 source articles · 7 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Mostly Right· 1 Center · 4 Right · 2 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 29% · Asia 29% · Other 42%
Outlet political mix
Mostly Right
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
1 outlet
4 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 2 unrated outlets are not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
7 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among Right-rated outlets (4 of 5 rated sources); comparatively few Left-rated outlets have published on the event.
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

1 factual disagreement · 1 framing difference · 3 uncorroborated claims · 3 information gaps
Sources disagree on one factual point.Compared across 2 reports whose article text Updat3 read; 5 other outlets were checked by headline only.
Factual disagreements
Sources report different numbers, dates, attribution or causes for the same thing.
  • Business Today attributes the estimate that less than 1 per cent of international bandwidth crosses Hormuz to Alan Mauldin of TeleGeography; Mathrubhumi reports the approximately 99 per cent global-traffic figure attributed to the International Telecommunication Union.
Updat3: The evidence conflicts; Updat3 does not present either version as established.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • Mathrubhumi presents the cable warning in the context of Trump's possible future operation; Business Today adds the warning about military bases, including covert ones, and quotes analyst Alex Vatanka on pressure involving investment plans.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • An unnamed speaker warned that an attack on Iran would mean “no more red lines” involving undersea cables and military bases.
  • Trump said, “We may do another little Epic Fury,” without specifying when another operation might occur.
  • Alex Vatanka said Tehran wants Gulf states and corporate executives to press Trump over risks to their investment plans.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.
Not established by the reporting
Information the available reporting does not contain or confirm. This is a gap, not a disagreement.
  • The sources do not provide civilian-impact figures or describe damage to cables.
  • The sources do not identify the earlier attacks that the threat refers to as its trigger.
  • The identity of the speaker who warned that there would be “no more red lines” is not given.
Updat3: Updat3 cannot conclude anything about this from the current sources.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Hezbollah was founded in Lebanon in 1982, becoming part of Iran’s regional network of partners.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. The FALCON submarine cable system entered service, connecting Gulf countries with regional networks.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. Gulf Bridge International launched its submarine cable network.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Iran and six world powers agreed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimposed sanctions.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Iran began exceeding limits on its nuclear program under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Israel struck Iranian targets after Iran fired missiles at Israel on October 1.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. The immediate military backdrop was the coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28, 2026.
    Background · from our historical context
  9. Donald Trump spoke at a Florida rally on Friday about the possibility of another US military operation against Iran, without specifying when it might occur.
    Reported in this story's sourcesSource:english.mathrubhumi.combusinesstoday.in

How we got here

The immediate military backdrop was the coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel struck Iranian power plants, air defenses and military infrastructure; both governments have characterized their actions as defensive or as responses to Iranian conduct. The war that began that day remained active as of October 24, 2026.

The FALCON submarine cable system entered service in 2006, connecting Gulf countries with other regional networks, and Gulf Bridge International launched its cable network in 2012. Iran and Israel cooperated during the Shah’s rule, but the 1979 Iranian Revolution ended that alignment.

Related developments1 story

Original sources

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