IRGC Says Seven Internet Cables Under Hormuz Are Potential Targets

DUBAI — Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said seven major internet cables pass under the Strait of Hormuz, according to a post on Telegram by Al Jazeera Arabic on 19 October 2026. The post, carried on the channel's Arabic-language feed, quoted the IRGC as saying that the "enemy must know" that Iran has "new targets."

The post did not give further details about the cables, their owners or any planned action. It did not say whether the IRGC was referring to cables that link Gulf states with other regions. The post also did not describe any specific threat against named countries or companies.

The statement appears to have been made in a single Telegram post. Al Jazeera Arabic's Telegram post is labelled as unverified in the source material, and no other outlet, official IRGC statement or telecommunications operator has been identified as confirming it. It is not known whether the IRGC issued the statement through its own channels.

Undersea cables carry most of the world's international internet traffic. Several routes pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula that links the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Indian Ocean. Tensions over shipping and security in the strait have been a recurring concern for regional governments and international shipping operators.

The source material does not include any response from Gulf governments, cable operators or Iranian officials beyond the IRGC post itself.