How IRGC’s ‘permit’ threats may impact submarine cables in Hormuz?

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened Monday to impose “permits” on submarine fibre-optic cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Here is what you need to know about cable infrastructure in the region and how the threats could play out: What cables run through Hormuz? Major connections running through Hormuz include a branch of AAE-1 (Asia, Africa, Europe), which connects points from Hong Kong to Italy and France. Meanwhile, the Falcon and Gulf Bridge cables connect countries in the Gulf — including Iran — with India and eastern Africa as far as Egypt. Data running over the cables includes “all kinds of traffic, any data you can think of — videos, email, social media, financial transactions, government communication,” Alan Mauldin, research director at specialist data firm TeleGeography, told AFP . The potential for global disruption is limited as data flowing between Asia and Europe on AAE-1 does not pass via the Gulf branch, Mauldin said. What’s more, “all of the Gulf countries using submarine cables that traverse the Strait of Hormuz have multiple other connectivity options,” he added. But Mauldin did note in a March blog that “the capacity of terrestrial networks may not be sufficient to handle the complete re-routing of traffic” if the Gulf’s subsea connections are cut off. As host of AAE-1’s Gulf terminal, Qatar especially would be affected by any disruption to the link. What threat could Iran pose to cables? Hormuz is “a closed-in geographic area in a strait, with relatively shallow waters… it’s especially favourable for harassment operations using manned or unmanned systems,” said Eric Lavault, a former French naval officer. Lavault pointed out that American forces have not been able to prevent Iran from launching operations from its long Gulf coast, with Tehran retaining “solid military potential”. Iran could both attack the cables themselves and “prevent the cable firms from carrying out operations, eith...

Original source: Dawn Pakistan