TEHRAN: Iranian hardliners backed a threat to strike Gulf data centres, undersea internet cables and artificial intelligence facilities if fighting with the United States and Israel resumes. Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei issued the warning during an interview with state-owned Press TV.
Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, identified American-linked technology infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates and around the Strait of Hormuz. He said Tehran had not yet included those facilities among its military targets.
However, he warned that renewed hostilities could bring attacks against communications networks and other valuable US assets. Rezaei claimed the region’s American-linked digital infrastructure was worth more than $2 trillion.
He provided no detailed valuation or list of specific facilities. Meanwhile, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), supported targeting artificial intelligence infrastructure.
It argued that such attacks could undermine US technological competition with China and place pressure on financial markets. Kayhan newspaper editor-in-chief Hossein Shariatmadari also endorsed Rezaei’s warning.
He urged Tehran to use fibre-optic cables beneath the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz as leverage against Washington. Iranian lawmaker Mohsen Zanganeh similarly argued that attacks on regional technology facilities could disrupt American military operations.
However, political analyst Ruhollah Rahimpour warned that damaged communications infrastructure would primarily affect regional networks rather than the global internet.
He cautioned that such attacks could draw other countries into the conflict and increase economic and security costs for Iran. Separately, Rezaei warned on Monday that another confrontation could open new fronts.
His remarks followed continuing disagreements between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian hardliners supported security chief Mohsen Rezaei’s warning that US-linked digital infrastructure in the Gulf could face attacks if fighting resumes.
