Iran's New Targets: From Internet Cables to Data Centers
Reports of potential new US and Israeli strikes on Iran increase the likelihood of another phase of the conflict. Tehran, meanwhile, threatens to expand the scope of its retaliatory strikes, targeting undersea internet cables in the Persian Gulf, data centers, and advanced technology facilities. This was reported in the "Geosiyosat" program.
Iran's New Targets: From Internet Cables to Data Centers
— According to reports, the US and Israel have already prepared concrete plans for a new strike against Iran after the midterm elections. Could Iran respond with an even harsher escalation, and what targets is it capable of striking?
First, on February 28, the US and Israel suddenly, while negotiations with Iran were still ongoing, launched powerful strikes against the country. As a result, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a significant portion of his family, and the country's elite were killed. This should be viewed as an illegal assassination. From the standpoint of both US law and international law, there were no grounds justifying such actions. In particular, there was no UN Security Council resolution authorizing the assassination of the head of the Iranian state or justifying such actions.
Following this, the US and Israel launched large-scale military strikes against Iran. However, Washington and Tel Aviv failed to achieve their stated goals. They then attempted to achieve them through military pressure, economic sanctions, and other hybrid methods. In other words, attempts were made to achieve through economic pressure what could not be achieved by military means, and if sanctions did not bring the expected effect, to use military or other means again. But these attempts also failed to yield the desired result. About two weeks ago, Iranian officials issued a new warning.
According to them, if the US or Israel attacks Iran again, Tehran could strike infrastructure facilities in the region linked to American interests. This list includes data processing centers—data centers, servers, undersea internet cables, and other facilities serving the geostrategic interests of the US. The Iranian side stated that it possesses sufficient information about the locations of these facilities. In some statements, the total value of this infrastructure was estimated at nearly $2 trillion.
Of course, this figure needs to be verified separately. However, in many Middle Eastern countries, including the territory of US allies among Arab states, there are important infrastructure assets linked to American interests. Iran claims that until now, Tehran has deliberately abstained from striking these targets. The reason was a reluctance to allow a further expansion of the war and a desire to focus on other military targets. But if the US attacks Iran again, Iran could target these infrastructure facilities as well, Tehran warned.