Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps put the undersea internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz on notice on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, when spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told a ceremony in Tehran that seven major cables run under the waterway and that "new targets" would be revealed in any renewed war. Anadolu Agency, as carried by Axar.az, reported that he spoke at the Sacred Defense Museum. No report gave the time, so an exact Eastern Time is unavailable.
The warning follows threats earlier this month from Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's top security official, against Gulf data centers, subsea cables and AI facilities if the United States and Israel resume strikes. It comes as Washington and Jerusalem weigh new strikes in a war that began on Feb. 28, making the Strait of Hormuz cable network a fresh pressure point.
Several independent outlets reported the remarks. Iran's ability to damage the cables has not been demonstrated.
Key Facts
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When: Monday, Oct. 19, 2026; the time of day was not reported.
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Where: Sacred Defense Museum, Tehran, according to UA.NEWS, citing Anadolu.
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Who: IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi (also spelled Mohebi); Mohsen Rezaei, Supreme National Security Council.
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What: Mohebbi said seven major internet cables run beneath Hormuz and warned that new weapons and targets would be unveiled.
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Status: Verbal threat only. No cable damage in Hormuz has been reported.
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Key number: Cables through Hormuz carry less than 1% of global international bandwidth, according to TeleGeography data cited by CNN.
What Happened
Speaking in Tehran, Mohebbi said all internet and commercial data traffic in the region moves through the cables under the strait, and that Iran was reminding its enemies of this. Fox News, citing Iran International, quoted him: "We are reminding the enemy of this so they know." He also vowed, according to Anadolu, to drive what he called the remnants of U.S. power out of the region.
Russia's TASS, quoting Iran's Fars agency, carried a harsher passage. Both are state outlets, so this is what the Iranian government claims. "We do not rule out the possibility of war, and this time our response will be much harsher," an unnamed IRGC representative said, according to that account. He added that "new types of weapons will be unveiled and new targets identified in the next phase of the war."
"We just want them to know that new targets will be unveiled. New weapons will be unveiled." — Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, IRGC spokesman, as reported by Anadolu Agency
International Business Times, republished by inkl, reported that Mohebbi posted on X the same day an image of a missile that appeared to be AI-generated, captioned "The world will see what will happen." Ecker Geopolitics could not independently verify the image's origin.
The speech built on Rezaei's warning about a week earlier. The Associated Press, via Fortune, reported on Oct. 11 that Rezaei called Washington's latest reply to Iran's peace proposal "insufficient." He also said "cables, data centers, AI facilities and other sites in the region" could be hit if heavy fighting resumes. Benzinga also reported the infrastructure threat. Anadolu also quoted Rezaei as saying, "We have not yet included these assets among our targets."
Gulf News reported that IRGC-linked Tasnim has mapped Gulf digital infrastructure. Ecker Geopolitics did not review that material. Our earlier coverage tracked Rezaei calling the U.S. response insufficient.
Timeline
| Date/Time (ET) | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb. 2024 | Three Red Sea cables (Seacom, AAE-1, EIG) damaged after the Houthi-struck Rubymar drifts with its anchor down |
| Feb. 28, 2026 | U.S. and Israel begin strikes on Iran |
| March 2026 | AWS says drones "directly struck" two UAE facilities |
| Mid-May 2026 | Iranian military spokesman says Iran will impose fees on Hormuz internet cables |
| June 2026 | U.S. and Iran sign a freedom-of-navigation memorandum whose implementation is later halted |
| Sept. 1, 2026 | Last U.S. strikes on Iranian military and IRGC targets, per IranWire via Gulf News |
| Oct. 10–11, 2026 | Rezaei threatens cables, data centers and AI facilities |
| Oct. 19, 2026 | Mohebbi cites seven Hormuz cables and promises "new targets" |
| Oct. 20, 2026 | Pakistan's army chief travels to Tehran to mediate |
Who's Involved
Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi is the IRGC's spokesman. IBT reported that he replaced Ali-Mohammad Naeini earlier this year.
Mohsen Rezaei is a former IRGC commander. The AP calls him head of the Supreme National Security Council; Anadolu calls him its secretary.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a video that the strait "is controlled by the United States and our regional partners, not Iran," according to Gulf News.
The OSINT Picture
Ecker Geopolitics checked TeleGeography's Submarine Cable Map for systems that land both inside the Persian Gulf and outside it. A cable with landings on both sides must cross Hormuz; that is our inference from landing data, not a route survey.
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FALCON (FLAG): 10,300 km, in service since 2006, with landings at Bandar Abbas, Khasab, Dubai, Doha, Manama and Al Faw, according to TeleGeography.
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GBICS/MENA (Gulf Bridge International): Landings at Bushehr, Kuwait City, Al Khobar, Bahrain and Qatar, plus Fujairah and Al Seeb outside the strait, per TeleGeography.
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Tata TGN-Gulf: Links Bahrain, Qatar, Al Khobar and Dubai with Fujairah and Qalhat, Oman, per TeleGeography.
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AAE-1: Lands at Doha inside the Gulf and at Fujairah and Al Bustan, Oman, outside it, per TeleGeography.
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2Africa: The Meta-backed system lands at Manama, Kuwait City, Doha, Al Khobar, Abu Dhabi and Al Faw, as well as Kalba, UAE, and Oman, per TeleGeography.
That is five confirmed crossers. Mohebbi said there are seven, and Ecker Geopolitics could not independently confirm which systems he counted. TeleGeography research director Alan Mauldin told CNN that FALCON and GBI pass through Iranian territorial waters, while most other cables cluster on the Omani side. He also said only one of the region's five usual repair ships remained inside the Gulf, which could slow repairs.
Capability claims (unverified): Analysts cited by Techzine say the IRGC has combat divers, mini-submarines and underwater drones that could reach cables. No source has shown Iran using them against cables.
Precedent (high confidence): In February 2024, the anchor of the Rubymar, a freighter disabled by a Houthi missile, most likely severed the Seacom, AAE-1 and EIG cables in the Red Sea, gCaptain reported, citing the International Cable Protection Committee. HGC Global Communications estimated about 25% of regional traffic was disrupted. Repairs took months, Al Jazeera noted.
Geopolitical Players
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Israel: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on an unannounced visit, Gulf News reported, citing Axios. Netanyahu reportedly told President Trump they "have a job to finish."
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Gulf states: The UAE is especially exposed because its AI strategy is "deeply integrated with American technology companies," Andreas Krieg of King's College London told Al Jazeera. Qatar's deputy prime minister said a new partnership will be announced soon, Fox News reported.
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Pakistan: Army chief Gen. Asim Munir travels to Tehran on Tuesday to mediate, Fox News reported.
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China: Premier Li Qiang called the strikes on Iran "blatant aggression," per the same report.
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Iraq: Baghdad has signed with Qatar's Ooredoo to carry Gulf data overland toward Turkiye, a route that avoids Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.
What It Means for the United States
The following is Ecker Geopolitics analysis.
Benefits and opportunities
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The low traffic share, under 1% of global bandwidth per TeleGeography, means Hormuz cables are a regional lever, not a global kill switch.
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U.S. naval dominance in the strait, where CENTCOM says about 97% of ships seeking passage got through unhit, gives Washington the means to escort cable-repair ships if needed.
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Iran's threats push Gulf partners toward redundancy built with U.S. firms, deepening commercial ties.
Risks and dangers
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American capital is on the line. Stargate UAE, a 1-gigawatt project with OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia and Cisco, plans its first 200 megawatts in 2026, Khaleej Times reported. Microsoft has pledged more than $10 billion across four Gulf states through 2030, per Al Jazeera.
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Cable cuts could slow banking, energy-trading and logistics traffic for U.S. forces and contractors based in Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE, and repair capacity inside the Gulf is thin.
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AWS already reported drone strikes on UAE facilities in March, Al Jazeera noted, so the data-center threat is not hypothetical.
Our reporting on U.S. and Iranian rival claims to control Hormuz and the IRGC's supertanker mine claim covers the shipping side of the crisis.
Go deeper with the Intel Briefing. Pro Truth Seeker members get the daily Intel Briefing, members-only deep dives on Gulf infrastructure risk and the full archive. Become a member.
What's Next
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Oct. 20: Gen. Munir's mediation visit to Tehran.
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Through Oct. 24: Etihad has suspended Abu Dhabi flights to Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah, Gulf News reported.
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Oct. 27: Israel's Knesset elections; Trump has endorsed Netanyahu, Fox News reported.
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Strike decision: The Pentagon reportedly has plans ready, Gulf News reported, including the massive ordnance option we covered in our Treasury sanctions report. The White House said it does not comment on sensitive military plans.
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Watch for: IRGC activity near cable routes and any revival of Tehran's plan to charge fees on Hormuz cables.
For live analysis as this develops, watch Ecker Geopolitics and cast your vote in today's poll on whether the U.S. should resume strikes.
Sources
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Axar.az (Anadolu Agency): Iran cites internet cables under Hormuz, warns of new targets, October 20, 2026
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UA.NEWS (Anadolu Agency): Iran's IRGC Mentions Seven Cables Under Strait of Hormuz, October 20, 2026
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TASS: IRGC warns undersea internet cables in Strait of Hormuz could become Iran's targets, October 20, 2026
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International Business Times via inkl: Iran Threatens 'World's Internet' as Revolutionary Guards Spokesman Shares Apparent AI-Generated Missile Image, October 19, 2026
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Fox News: Iran war live updates, October 19, 2026
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Gulf News: US-Israel-Iran war lull nears breaking point, what to know, October 20, 2026
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Al Jazeera: Iran threatens Gulf data centres: How exposed is the region's internet?, October 13, 2026
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Fortune (AP): Iran threatens cables, data centers and AI facilities in the Gulf region, October 11, 2026
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Benzinga: Iran's Mohsen Rezaei threatens AI data centers, undersea cables, October 11, 2026
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Techzine: Iran threatens to impose fees on subsea cables in the Strait of Hormuz, May 18, 2026
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Egypt Independent (CNN): Iran eyes a new source of power deep beneath the Strait of Hormuz, May 18, 2026
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TeleGeography Submarine Cable Map: FALCON, accessed October 20, 2026
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TeleGeography Submarine Cable Map: GBICS/MENA, accessed October 20, 2026
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TeleGeography Submarine Cable Map: Tata TGN-Gulf, accessed October 20, 2026
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TeleGeography Submarine Cable Map: AAE-1, accessed October 20, 2026
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TeleGeography Submarine Cable Map: 2Africa, accessed October 20, 2026
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gCaptain: Rubymar anchor seen as likely cause of severed Red Sea cables, March 6, 2024
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Khaleej Times: Giant AI data centre Stargate UAE to begin in 2026, May 22, 2025
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U.S. Navy All Hands: USS Farragut transits the Strait of Hormuz, December 18, 2019