Iran Threatens to Cut Undersea Internet Cables — Could Your Internet Go Dark in India?
Story By -
Jack Miller 2026-03-30 Iran War Internet, Undersea Cable Threat 88
You have heard about the Iran war disrupting oil prices, LPG supplies, and air travel routes. But there is a threat emerging from this conflict that most people in India have not yet fully grasped — and it could hit something far more personal than your fuel bill.
Your internet connection.
Iran has reportedly threatened to cut the undersea fibre-optic cables running beneath the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz — the same cables that carry approximately 95% of all global internet data. And here is why every Indian with a smartphone, a job in IT, a bank account, or an online business should pay attention: about one-third of India's entire data traffic flows through exactly these routes.
What Are Undersea Internet Cables?
Before getting into the threat, it helps to understand what these cables actually are — because most people assume the internet runs on satellites. It does not. Not mostly, anyway.
As of 2026, there are over 570 active submarine cable systems stretched across more than 1.4 million kilometres of ocean floor around the world. These fibre-optic cables — no thicker than a garden hose in many places — carry the overwhelming majority of the world's international internet traffic. Financial transactions, cloud services, streaming, email, messaging, social media, AI computing, business data — it all runs through these cables.
The key corridors run from Asia westward through the Indian Ocean, up through the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal, and into Europe. This Asia-Europe corridor carries the largest volume of intercontinental internet traffic on Earth — and much of it passes through or near the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, which is precisely the war zone right now.
India sits at a particularly vulnerable point in this network. The country hosts 17 undersea cables at 14 cable landing stations, primarily in Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Tuticorin, and Thiruvananthapuram. Roughly two-thirds of India's international internet traffic is routed through Mumbai, and the rest through Chennai. These two cities are India's digital gateways to the world.
What Has Iran Threatened?
Iran has not made an official public statement confirming it will cut the cables. However, reports circulating from multiple credible sources — and subsequently flagged by analysts, cybersecurity experts, and geopolitical commentators — suggest that Tehran has privately warned Gulf states that continued hosting of US military forces could result in attacks on undersea digital infrastructure.
The threat has gained credibility for several reasons.
First, on February 28, 2026 — the same day the US-Israel strike on Iran began — Iran reportedly reduced its own external internet traffic by nearly 99%, effectively isolating itself from the global internet. This suggested Iran was actively preparing for a scenario where undersea cables might be disrupted or where Iran itself might initiate such disruption.
Second, Iran has a track record of using its naval forces and proxies for targeted disruption of maritime infrastructure. The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea in 2024 had already damaged the AAE-1, Seacom, and EIG cables — impacting 25% of Asia-Europe internet traffic and directly affecting India's bandwidth.
Third, Meta's contractors have reportedly pulled out of the Persian Gulf region entirely, halting work on new undersea cable projects in the area. French submarine cable company Alcatel Submarine Networks has issued force majeure notices and one of its installation vessels remains stranded near Saudi Arabia. These are not the actions of companies that feel the threat is not real.
The Key Cables at Risk
The cable systems most vulnerable to disruption in this scenario include some of the most important digital arteries on the planet.
SEA-ME-WE (South East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe) — A series of cables connecting Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and Europe. India is a major transit point.
AAE-1 (Asia Africa Europe 1) — Connects Asia to Europe via the Middle East and East Africa. Runs through the Gulf region.
Europe India Gateway (EIG) — Connects India directly to Europe. Runs through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
FALCON — A regional cable system connecting Gulf states and India.
FLAG (Fibre-optic Link Around the Globe) — One of the oldest and most critical long-distance cables running through the region.
Any targeted attack on even three to four of these cables in the Gulf region would cause an unprecedented disruption to global internet traffic — particularly on the Asia-Europe corridor.
What Would a Cable Cut Mean for India?
The honest answer is that a complete internet blackout in India is unlikely. What is far more likely — and genuinely concerning — is sustained degradation of internet speeds, increased latency, and disruption to specific services.
Here is what a major cable disruption would actually mean:
IT Industry — India's IT export revenue exceeds Rs 20 lakh crore annually. These companies run on seamless high-bandwidth connections to clients in the US and Europe. Degraded connectivity directly means degraded service delivery, missed SLAs, and financial losses.
Financial Services — Digital payments, stock market trading, banking transactions — these all rely on low-latency international connectivity. Even brief disruptions can cost billions across the financial system.
Cloud Services — Businesses and individuals using cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure would experience slowdowns and service interruptions, because the cloud infrastructure is physically located in data centres connected via these cables.
OTT Streaming — Netflix, YouTube, Hotstar — all rely on content delivery networks that pull data from international servers. Degraded cable capacity means buffering, reduced quality, and potential service interruptions.
Remittances — India receives over Rs 2.5 lakh crore annually in Gulf remittances. Wire transfer systems, money transfer platforms, and banking apps all depend on international connectivity.
Gulf Remittances — Indian workers in the Gulf sending money home could face delays and disruptions in transfer services.
India's Vulnerability Is Real — And the Government Knows It
The Department of Telecommunications has already issued alerts to telecom companies and cable operators about this threat. Companies have been instructed to analyse potential risks and ensure that alternative routes are ready for deployment.
This is not a precaution being taken lightly. India's dependence on the Gulf and Red Sea cable routes for its connections to Europe is nearly total — there are very limited alternative routes that can carry equivalent traffic. Eastward routes through the Pacific exist, but they are not designed to absorb the full volume of India-Europe traffic if the primary western routes are disrupted.
Industry experts have noted that while complete internet blackout is unlikely, India remains "exposed to congestion and performance issues due to its reliance on limited routes and landing points." The fix — diversifying cable landings, expanding eastward connectivity, and building domestic repair capabilities — is a long-term infrastructure project, not something that can be done in weeks.
A New Kind of Warfare
What makes this threat particularly insidious is that it does not even require Iran to actually cut the cables. The mere credible threat of doing so is already causing disruption. Insurance costs for subsea infrastructure are rising. Contractors are pulling out of the region. New cable projects are being delayed or halted. Telecom companies are quietly rerouting traffic to costlier, less efficient paths.
Analysts call this "hybrid warfare" — using the fear of infrastructure disruption as a weapon. Iran does not need to sever a single cable to cause hundreds of millions of dollars in economic friction across the global digital economy. The threat alone is doing the work.
Historical Precedent Shows This Is Not Hypothetical
The 2008 Mediterranean cable cuts near Egypt disrupted up to 70-80% of internet traffic between India and Europe. India's international bandwidth dropped by approximately 60% for weeks. The repairs took months.
In 2024, accidental damage to Red Sea cables during Houthi maritime operations caused disruptions lasting months, affecting 25% of Asia-Europe traffic, and India felt that directly.
Now, with an active military conflict in the same region and Iran specifically threatening to use undersea cables as leverage, the risk is not theoretical. It is a clear and present operational danger.
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