The undersea cables carry a large share of global data traffic between Europe, the Gulf, and Asia. Tehran proposes to impose a toll for submarine cables that provide internet communications. Iran also wants all management and maintenance handled exclusively by domestic companies.
If you don’t want all-out war, it’s a good idea to announce your attacks so the other side (1) doesn’t over-react, and (2) pays attention the next time you make a threat. Usually the downside is that the other side might use this information to try to stop you. But at this point Iran has pretty much total control of the Persian Gulf, so that’s not a huge risk.
If you don’t want all-out war, it’s a good idea to announce your attacks so the other side (1) doesn’t over-react, and (2) pays attention the next time you make a threat. Usually the downside is that the other side might use this information to try to stop you. But at this point Iran has pretty much total control of the Persian Gulf, so that’s not a huge risk.