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Iran-Linked Ships Tracked Near Subsea Cables Amid Threats
Four Iran-linked vessels have conducted suspicious maneuvers near vital undersea communication cables in the Gulf of Oman, raising fears of potential sabotage. The activity was detected by the maritime intelligence firm Windward amid heightened regional tensions.
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What happened
- 01The Israeli maritime intelligence firm Windward tracked four Iran-linked vessels conducting highly unusual maneuvers near strategic undersea communication cables in the Gulf of Oman.
- 02The monitored fleet consisted of three oil tankers currently under United States sanctions and one Iranian-flagged fishing support vessel.
- 03The tanker Celestial Sea circled near the 2Africa cable route in mid-October before disabling its location transmissions for 86 hours.
- 04An Iranian fishing boat lingered directly over the Europe India Gateway and Transworld undersea cables between October 21 and October 26.
- 05The suspicious naval activity occurred following explicit threats from Iranian officials to target regional telecommunications infrastructure if attacked by Israel or the United States.
- 06Experts warn that disabling these undersea cables would severely disrupt digital economies, financial transactions, and internet connectivity across several Gulf nations.
The monitored vessels included three oil tankers under United States sanctions and an Iranian fishing support boat. According to Windward, these ships exhibited highly unusual behavior throughout October, including slowing down, circling, and disabling their location transmitters for extended periods near critical cable routes. For instance, the tanker Celestial Sea circled near the 2Africa cable before going offline for 86 hours, while the fishing vessel lingered over the Europe India Gateway and Transworld cables.
These maneuvers follow explicit threats from Iranian officials to target digital infrastructure, including undersea cables and data centers, if the United States or Israel escalates strikes against Iran. Experts warn that any physical damage to these cables could severely disrupt internet connectivity, financial transactions, and commercial services across the Persian Gulf, with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar being particularly vulnerable.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
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Iran-Linked Ships Tracked Near Subsea Cables Amid Threats