- Companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon could be charged licensing fees for subsea fiber-optic infrastructure.
- The plan may include Iranian control over maintenance and repair of undersea cables, along with enforcement of domestic laws.
- Analysts view the move as an attempt by Tehran to extend its influence from maritime control into the digital infrastructure domain.
- Legal experts say the proposal enters a “grey zone” under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea due to unclear rules on subsea digital assets.
Security analysts warn Iran could use coercive pressure tactics, but operational and geopolitical risks remain high for any disruption or control of cables.
Iran is reportedly exploring a controversial plan to impose fees on global technology companies for the use of undersea internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, in what analysts describe as an attempt to extend its strategic leverage from maritime shipping routes into global digital infrastructure.
According to reports and state-linked Iranian media, Tehran is considering charging companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon licensing fees for subsea fiber-optic cables running beneath the Strait, a critical chokepoint for global data and energy flows.
The proposal also reportedly includes provisions that would place maintenance and repair operations of these undersea cables under Iranian control, while requiring compliance with Iranian domestic laws, raising questions over regulatory reach in international waters and data infrastructure governance.
Analysts say the move reflects Tehran’s efforts to expand its influence into the so-called “digital undersea domain,” following heightened tensions and its strategic positioning in the Strait of Hormuz, where it already holds significant leverage over global maritime traffic.
Experts note that at least seven major internet cables pass through the Strait, forming a vital part of global communications infrastructure linking Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. However, only a limited number fall within Iran’s territorial waters.
Legal scholars argue the plan enters a “grey zone” under international maritime law, particularly under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which does not clearly regulate such licensing claims over subsea digital infrastructure in exclusive economic zones.
While Tehran argues it has sovereign rights over its maritime territory, experts caution that any attempt to impose unilateral fees on global data infrastructure could face strong legal and geopolitical challenges, even if enforcement depends more on physical control than legal justification.
Security analysts also warn that Iran could theoretically exert pressure through interference, restricted maintenance access, or coercive enforcement tactics similar to those seen in maritime shipping disputes in the region.
However, operational risks remain high. Damaging or controlling deep-sea cables would require complex technical operations in a heavily monitored and geopolitically sensitive zone, with vessels potentially exposed to surveillance or counteraction.
Despite the rhetoric, analysts suggest the impact on end users may be limited in the short term, as most affected infrastructure primarily serves Gulf states, while Europe and the United States rely on multiple alternative routes.
Still, observers say the proposal underscores a broader trend: the expansion of geopolitical competition into digital infrastructure, where control over data flows is becoming as strategically significant as control over physical trade routes.
