IRAN IS TURNING THE INTERNET INTO A TOLL BOOTH.
Iran is considering forcing Google, Meta, and other tech giants to obtain permits for undersea internet cables passing through its waters. The companies would also have to undergo technical inspections and pay what Iran calls sovereignty fees.
Major cable systems like FALCON and GBI cross the Gulf. They pass through the Strait of Hormuz. That makes the strait not just an oil chokepoint. It is a digital chokepoint.
More than 99 percent of international data traffic travels through undersea cables.
Iran already controls the flow of oil. Now it wants to control the flow of information. This comes after Mohsen Rezaee threatened to destroy undersea cables, data centers, and AI facilities across the region if the U.S. and Israel resume the war. He claimed those assets are worth over 2 trillion dollars.
Iran is not just threatening destruction. It is demanding payment. The message is simple. You want to connect Europe to Asia. You want to connect the Gulf to the world. You will pay Iran for the privilege.
The U.S. sanctioned Iran. It cut Iran off from SWIFT. It blockaded its oil. Iran is responding by weaponizing the physical infrastructure that keeps the global economy running. The Strait of Hormuz is no longer just about oil. It is about data. It is about the internet. It is about who controls the pipes.
When the world’s digital lifeline runs through a war zone, who really pays the price?.