Iran's new targets: from internet cables to data centers
Reports about the possibility of the US and Israel launching new strikes against Iran are increasing the likelihood of the next phase of the conflict. Tehran, meanwhile, is threatening to expand the scope of its retaliatory attacks: this involves internet cables, data centers, and modern technology facilities in the Persian Gulf. This is discussed in the "Geopolitics" program.
Iran's new targets: from internet cables to data centers
- According to reports, the US and Israel have drawn up concrete plans to strike Iran again after the midterm elections. Could Iran escalate the situation in a retaliatory strike, and at the cost of what targets?
First, on February 28, while negotiations with Iran were still ongoing, the US and Israel launched unexpected, powerful strikes on the country. As a result, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a large portion of his family members, and a significant part of the country's elite were killed. This must be assessed as an unlawful assassination. Because from the perspective of US domestic law and international law, there were no grounds to justify such actions. In particular, there was no UN Security Council resolution authorizing the assassination of the Iranian head of state or justifying such an action.
Following this, the US and Israel launched large-scale military strikes against Iran. However, Washington and Tel Aviv failed to achieve their stated goals. Subsequently, they attempted to reach their objectives through military pressure, economic sanctions, and other hybrid methods. That is, efforts were observed to achieve through economic pressure the results that were not attained by military means, and if sanctions did not yield the expected effect, to employ military or other tools again. But these attempts also failed to produce the expected result. About two weeks ago, Iranian officials issued a new warning.
They stated that if the US or Israel attacks Iran again, Tehran could strike infrastructure facilities related to American interests in the region. These include data processing centers — data centers, servers, undersea internet cables, and other installations serving the geostrategic interests of the United States. The Iranian side indicated that it possesses sufficient information regarding the locations of these facilities. In some statements, the total value of this infrastructure was estimated at nearly 2 trillion dollars.
Of course, the validity of this figure needs to be verified separately. However, critical infrastructure facilities linked to American interests exist in many Middle Eastern countries, including on the territory of US allies among the Arab states. Iran claims that Tehran has deliberately refrained from striking these facilities until now. This was due to a desire to prevent further escalation of the war and to focus on other military targets. However, Iran warned that if the US attacks Iran again, it may also target these infrastructure facilities.
According to some speculations, Benjamin Netanyahu's goal was to launch the war a week or two before the elections in Israel and thereby divert public attention. However, no agreement was reached with the US on this matter. Now, on the eve of the midterm elections to be held in the US on November 3, the possibility of new military action against Iran is back on the agenda. According to many analysts and observers, these statements may primarily serve as a tool of diplomatic pressure on Iran. That is, it is not improbable that Washington is trying in this way to force Tehran back to the negotiating table and accept its demands.