Iran threatens to tax underwater cables in the Strait of Hormuz, for what effect?

Published on May 19, 2026 21:17 Updated on May 20, 2026 10:36

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The Revolutionary Guards now want to tax the submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz. These strategic installations allow Gulf countries to communicate with Asia and Europe.

This Tuesday, May 19, at the construction site of his future ballroom at the White House, Donald Trump once again expresses impatience in the conflict with Iran: “Yesterday, I was an hour away from striking Iran. Everything was ready for me to give the order. The boats were loaded, everything was ready,” he explained. The American president ultimately backed down against this Iranian opponent who is using all weapons to resist.

The latest targets in the Strait of Hormuz? The submarine cables, whether fiber optic or electrical. These are the channels through which telephone communication and internet traffic pass, accounting for 17% of international broadband. In total, around ten invisible highways of the global economy. According to a spokesperson, Iran’s idea is to profit from this: “We will impose taxes on internet cables,” a toll on digital services. The most affected countries would be its neighbors in the Persian Gulf, who rely on these cables to communicate with Asia and Europe.

But Iran is primarily targeting American giants: Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, which benefit from the speed of their data flow through these underwater connections. These taxes could amount to millions of dollars. But would they have a real impact? Experts doubt it: “If you want to go elsewhere than through the Strait of Hormuz, you can do so. So the real operational impact of a threat of tolls on data passing through submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz is limited,” explains Mikaa Blugeon-Mered, a geopolitical researcher and lecturer at the war college

Iran is also hinting at another unprecedented threat: to cut these cables, to sabotage the submarine networks. The Iranian government intends to fully exploit what it calls a treasure in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Navigating Hostile Waters: Submarine Cable Infrastructure and the Strait of Hormuz”, TeleGeography, March 13, 2026 (in English)

“The Hormuz digital chokepoint: How does the Iran war threaten subsea cables?”, Reuters, April 28, 2026 (in English)

“How realistic is threat of Iran charging to use internet cables under strait of Hormuz?”, The Guardian, May 18, 2026 (in English)

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