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How could Iran's threatened internet cable tariffs affect Europe?

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 775 words · By Inês Trindade Pereira; Alessio Dell'Anna
Digital infrastructure security Geopolitical Tension International maritime law
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What to know about Digital infrastructure security

The move could raise connectivity costs and create greater digital vulnerability for Europe, but some experts argue that the continent has enough backup bandwidth to survive without access to the cables in the Strait of Hormuz.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The move could raise connectivity costs and create greater digital vulnerability for Europe, but some experts argue that the continent has enough backup bandwidth to survive without access to the cables in the Strait of Hormuz.

Why it matters

In a new attempt to put the West under economic pressure, Iran is floating the idea of imposing "access fees" on undersea internet cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could further strain global trade following the passage's blockage.

Common ground

The plan was first laid out by Iran's news agency Tasnim, which is linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/05/20/as-iran-mulls-tariffs-on-hormuz-in…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 4
schedule Pending 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
Claim 1: “European firms from France, Italy, Greece, and the UK either own or are part of the managing consortium of at least four cables passing under Hormuz, according to the Submarine Telecoms Forum.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the SubTel Forum is mentioned as a source of industry reports, the specific detail about firms from France, Italy, Greece, and the UK managing at least four cables in Hormuz is not independently corroborated in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) is a French company and one of the three world leaders in the manufacture and installation of submarine cables (alongside NEC and SubCom). It is majority-owned by the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatel_Submarine_Networks
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gulf Bridge International (GBI) is the Middle East's first privately owned submarine cable system linking the countries bordering the Persian Gulf on a self-healing ring to each other and onward to Eu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Bridge_International
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) is an optical fibre submarine communications cable system that carries telecommunications between Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEA-ME-WE_4
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 2: “The second, PEARLS/2Africa, part of the world's largest subsea cable system, passes beneath Sicily before ending up in Genoa, Marseille and Barcelona.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided includes general travel guides for Sicily and Barcelona and a general link to a cable map, but does not confirm the specific routing or endpoints of the PEARLS/2Africa cable.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — TeleGeography's comprehensive and regularly updated interactive map of the world's major submarine cable systems and landing stations.The Submarine Cable Map is a free and regularly updated resource f…
https://www.submarinecablemap.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With MSC Cruises, there’s a whole array of Barcelona cruises to choose from. Circle the Mediterranean and visit Barcelona on a cruise via Marseille, Genoa, Naples and Sicily. Or sail down to Morocco a…
https://www.msccruises.com/int/our-cruises/destinations/medi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sicily is one of Italy's best destinations. Enjoy this travel guide across Sicily's incredible places. From the medieval seaside town of Cefalù, to the volca...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFtnZRzNpqw
info
Claim 3: “"Bandwidth traversing the Strait of Hormuz accounts for less than 1% of international bandwidth globally", the International Cable Protection Committee (IPCC) told Europe in Motion.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'according' and do not contain any statements from the IPCC regarding bandwidth percentages.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of ACCORD is to grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or earned. How to use accord in a sentence. Did you know? Synonym Discussion of Accord.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/according
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The term according to can be used to attribute something reported — according to the news, the airports are closed (even though according to your friend, they're still open). It also refers to agreeme…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/according
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Phrasal verb accord with something (Definition of according from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/accordin…
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Claim 4: “Iran is floating the idea of imposing "access fees" on undersea internet cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that an Iran-linked outlet proposed a tax/fee on undersea internet cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz to generate revenue.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With a population of over 92 million, Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population. It is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital and largest cit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 11 hours ago · Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has gained military knowledge from previous hostilities and warned that “a return to war will feature many more surprises.” Chinese ..…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/5/20/iran-war-l…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 hours ago · Iran live updates: Trump says war costs are 'peanuts,' Tehran threatens 'surprises' Trump again dismissed concerns about the economic impacts of the conflict.
https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-upd…
info
Claim 5: “The first one is the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE1), whose owners include Italy's Retelit and Greece's OTEGLOBE. It reaches landing points in Crete, Bari and Marseille.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries for 'Asia' and 'Continent', which do not mention the AAE1 cable, Retelit, or OTEGLOBE.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Asia varies greatly across and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties, and government systems.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Asia, the world’s largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass. Asia is more a geographic term than a homogeneous continent, and …
https://www.britannica.com/place/Asia
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Asia is the largest continent in the world in both land area, population and density. Its area is about 17,212,000 sq mi (44,579,000 sq km). Together with Europe, it forms the Eurasia continent, occup…
https://ontheworldmap.com/asia/
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Claim 6: “The moves could generate up to €13 billion in revenues for the country.”
CORROBORATED
One source mentions a '15 billion cable transit fee claim', which aligns closely with the claim of 'up to €13 billion' (approximately $14-15 billion USD).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting mili…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the 2026 Iran war covers the period since 28 February 2026. The war is ongoing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2026_Iran_war
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 7: “The United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) protects maritime flows and international navigation”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 8: “Egypt already charges for underwater cable access”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Egypt's charging of fees for underwater cable access.
schedule
Claim 9: “Iran signed it in 1982, but then never ratified it.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 10: “"Approximately 150–200 submarine telecommunications cable faults occur globally each year, with around 70–80% caused by accidental human activity such as commercial fishing activity and ships’ anchors, rather than sabotage," the IPCC said.”
CORROBORATED
One source explicitly states that 'Globally, 100–200 cable faults occur annually', which closely matches the claim's 150-200 range and the cause (human activity).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Submarine cables form a global web at the bottom of the sea, keeping us all connected (Credit: Getty). How our data travels. There are 1.4 million km (870,000 miles) of telecommunication cables on the…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241014-the-deep-sea-eme…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Globally, 100–200 cable faults occur annually, but the Red Sea's concentration (15 cables in a narrow strait) amplifies risks. Here's a breakdown of the reasons for cable cuts
https://gulfnews.com/technology/red-sea-cable-chaos-why-the-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Submarine Cable Map is a free and regularly updated resource from TeleGeography.
https://www.submarinecablemap.com/
help
Claim 11: “A study conducted by submarinenetworks.com over the 2000-2019 period estimated the cost for each underwater cable operator to be around €1.5 million for landing rights, maintenance, and operational support.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a study by submarinenetworks.com or the specific cost of €1.5 million.
check_circle
Claim 12: “The plan was first laid out by Iran's news agency Tasnim, which is linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly mention that the proposal was published by an Iran-linked news outlet (Tasnim is the specific outlet referenced in the context of these reports).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 26, 2024 · Writing a proposal requires clear planning, structure, and persuasive communication. By following this step-by-step guide and using the provided template, you can effectively convey you…
https://researchmethod.net/how-to-write-a-proposal/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 7, 2026 · A project proposal template gives project managers a structured framework for presenting a project idea, justifying its value, and securing stakeholder approval before work begins.
https://instituteprojectmanagement.com/blog/project-proposal…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aug 20, 2025 · Learn how to write a proposal to presents an idea, solution or plan to stakeholders in order to gain approval or secure funding.
https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/how-to-write-a-proposal
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.