Iran turns Strait of Hormuz undersea cables into strategic leverage

🇮🇷 public Iran · May 26, 2026 · 1607 words · By Farhad Ibragimov

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What to know about Iran turns Strait of Hormuz undersea cables into strategic leverage

Could Iran cut off the world’s internet access?

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

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

What happened

Could Iran cut off the world’s internet access?

Why it matters

Iranian Armed Forces operational command Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has recently announced that Iran intends to charge fees for the use of undersea cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Common ground

While this news didn’t come as a surprise, it certainly heightened tensions surrounding the digital infrastructure of the Persian Gulf.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What terms are actually in the Iran proposal, and which side would have to compromise first?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Iranian Armed Forces operational command Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has recently announced that Iran intends to charge fees for the use of undersea cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/640587-could-iran-cut-off-internet/

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.

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 3

schedule Pending 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Iranian Armed Forces operational command Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has recently announced that Iran intends to charge fees for the use of undersea cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Alhurra, Facebook/News reports) confirm that Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari announced the intention to impose fees on submarine internet cables via X.

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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, sometimes referred to as the Third Gulf War, began when the US and Isra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 8 April 2026, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in the 2026 Iran war, mediated by Pakistan. Iran had rejected the draft proposal for a 45-day two-phased ceasefire framework …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war_ceasefire

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From 28 February 2026, as part of the 2026 Iran War, Iran began launching a series of drone strikes on sites in Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, initially targeting the Port of Duqm and the Port of Sala…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iranian_strikes_on_Oman

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Other cable systems are strategically vital, including the SEA-ME-WE 5, linking Southeast Asia with the Middle East and Europe, and TGN-Gulf, connecting Gulf nations’ infrastructure with India and global networks, including the US.”

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.

verified

Claim 3: “Since May 18, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority has controlled the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) was founded on May 5, 2026, and is responsible for the authorization and regulation of maritime transit.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) is an Iranian government agency responsible for the authorisation and regulation of maritime transit after contacting the authority. It was founded on 5 May 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf_Strait_Authority

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz () is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula under the Musandam Governorate of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “At that time, an expert claimed that a disruption of cables in the Strait of Hormuz could potentially affect up to 70% of the world’s internet traffic.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions that damage to cables could impact global internet traffic, but no specific '70%' figure attributed to an expert in July 2019 is found in the provided snippets.

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web search NEUTRAL — ↑ James Griffiths (July 26, 2019). "The global internet is powered by vast undersea cables. But they're vulnerable". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-16 ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable

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web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago · Damage to undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz could impact not only internet speed but also the region's connectivity with major global IT ...
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279077911/could-iran-cut…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 17, 2026 · ... impact wouldn't just be regional. It could slow or disrupt: • banking systems • international payments • internet traffic • cloud services ...
https://www.facebook.com/cnn/posts/emboldened-by-its-success…

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Claim 5: “In May 2026, Iranian state media started pushing the narrative that Iran could charge foreign tech companies for utilizing the undersea cables that run through the Strait of Hormuz.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (TIME, and other news reports) confirm that in May 2026, Iranian media and lawmakers discussed charging tech companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon for the use of undersea cables.

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web search NEUTRAL — May 16, 2026 · Iranian media suggested Tehran could charge companies like Amazon and Meta to use undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz. If so, what ...
https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/posts/iranian-med…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 19, 2026 · Iranian lawmakers have discussed a plan to begin charging tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft annual fees for fiber-optic cables ...
https://time.com/article/2026/05/19/iran-war-subsea-cables-i…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 19, 2026 · Plan floated in Iranian media to extract revenues from US tech firms would rely on intimidation and is legally dubious.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/18/iran-threat-in…

verified

Claim 6: “This new body was established by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran and is responsible for monitoring compliance with the maritime rules set by Tehran.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms the PGSA is an Iranian government agency responsible for the authorization and regulation of maritime transit. While the specific mention of the 'Supreme National Security Council' is not in the snippet, the agency's role and Iranian government status are verified.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Seven primary communication systems run along the seabed of the Strait of Hormuz; however, they branch out into about 17 distinct cable lines.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific number of communication systems (7) or cable lines (17) in the Strait of Hormuz.

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Claim 8: “the Ooredoo Gulf Pathway manages a significant portion of digital traffic within the Persian Gulf.”

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.

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Claim 9: “On April 22, Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published a report mapping the cable and cloud infrastructure of the Persian Gulf.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While Tasnim News Agency is confirmed to be linked to the IRGC, there is no evidence in the provided results of a specific report mapping cable and cloud infrastructure published on April 22.

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web search NEUTRAL — Tasnim News Agency (Persian: خبرگزاری تسنیم) is a semi-official news agency in Iran [2] associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). [3] Launched in 2012, its purpose is to cover a va…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasnim_News_Agency

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web search NEUTRAL — TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran is forcing its enemies into retreat in a major and historic confrontation, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said, describing national unity and public resilience, along…
https://www.tasnimnews.ir/en

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 25, 2013 · Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) - Posts - Official twitter account of the Tasnim News Agency English website | X (formerly Twitter)
https://x.com/Tasnimnews_EN

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Claim 10: “It was created in response to the US-initiated naval blockade that began in April.”

CORROBORATED

BBC and Wikipedia both reference the US blockade of Iranian ports starting in April 2026, and the BBC specifically links the creation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to this context.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “The topic first emerged in July 2019 during a broadcast on the state-controlled IRIB television and radio network.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While multiple sources mention that discussions about undersea cables surfaced 'before the current escalation', none of the provided evidence specifically mentions the IRIB network or the date July 2019 for this specific emergence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known domestically as Sepah or Pasdaran and internationally as Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary force of the Iranian Armed Fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Revolutionary_Guard_Co…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Twelve-Day War was an armed conflict between Iran and Israel which lasted from 13 to 24 June 2025. It began when Israel bombed military and nuclear facilities in Iran in a surprise attack, assassi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-Day_War

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “the FALCON system connects India with Oman, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and extends to Egypt”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the FALCON system and its specific connections.

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.