Key facts
- Windward tracked three sanctioned tankers linked to Iran and an Iranian fishing boat near major undersea cables in the Gulf of Oman in October, the Financial Times reported.
- Some of the vessels switched off their AIS transponders, and Windward said the pattern suggested they may be mapping cable routes or placing charges or mines.
- Six active cables cross the Strait of Hormuz, and Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar depend entirely on subsea connections through the strait.
- The 2Africa cable under construction, owned by a consortium including Meta, was among the corridors the drifting ships visited.
- Cable-laying ships have not been able to enter the region safely since the war began, forcing the 2Africa cable to pause a planned expansion.
Three sanctioned tankers linked to Iran and an Iranian fishing boat were tracked loitering over major undersea Internet cables in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz in October, the Financial Times reported on November 6, 2026, citing the maritime intelligence firm Windward. Windward used ship-tracking data and satellite images to follow the vessels as they slowed and looped near multiple cables, with some switching off their automatic identification system transponders, which normally broadcast a ship's location.
Windward said the pattern suggested the ships may be mapping cable routes or placing charges or mines while dark. In an October 26 blog post, the firm cited two sanctioned tankers linked to Iran that spent days drifting directly over regional cable corridors with no commercial reason to stop, both carrying no commercial cargo.
Six active cables cross the Strait of Hormuz, linking the Middle East to Europe, Africa and Asia, with segments of two more under construction. Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar depend entirely on subsea connections through the strait, and one third of India's westbound Internet traffic passes through the Persian Gulf and the strait, according to the report. The 2Africa cable under construction, owned by a consortium that includes Meta, was among the corridors the drifting ships visited.
Since the US and Israel began a war with Iran in February 2026, Iran has attacked commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and struck refineries, airports and Amazon data centers in Gulf countries, the report said. In May 2026 an IRGC spokesperson said Iran would impose fees on Internet cables owned by US tech companies and others. More recently, Iranian officials and IRGC commanders warned they could attack the cables directly, after Trump threatened at the United Nations on September 22 to renew major strikes and said he could annihilate Iran. An IRGC spokesperson said on October 20 that seven major cables run through the strait and that Iran reminded the enemy of this.
The cable-laying ships used for installation and repair have not been able to venture safely into the region since the war began, forcing the Meta-backed 2Africa cable to pause a planned expansion, according to the report. US tech companies and Gulf countries have accelerated work on alternative routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz.