PORTALBERITA.CO.ID - The world’s critical infrastructure underpinning global internet communications—the vast network of undersea cables—is facing an increasing array of vulnerabilities, as tensions mount in key maritime chokepoints. This digital backbone, essential for everything from financial transactions to cloud services, is becoming a new battleground for geopolitical maneuvering.
The potential for disruption was recently underscored by actions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran, already controlling a fifth of global oil transit, turned its attention beneath the waves. Iranian officials and media linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) proposed levying billions in annual transit fees on major tech companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon for using these vital submarine links connecting Europe and Asia via the Middle East.
Furthermore, some Iranian leadership suggested the IRGC could actively monitor data traffic flowing through the cables, potentially accessing sensitive information, including data from the critical banking platform SWIFT. While these threats may appear exaggerated, as practical enforcement and payment under US sanctions are unlikely, they serve as a potent reminder of systemic security gaps.
As reported by Caleb Nathaniel on June 13, 2026, the underlying issue is the indispensable yet absurdly exposed nature of this infrastructure, which supports trillions flowing into the AI sector and global commerce. Despite their importance, the majority of these cables rest on the ocean floor with minimal physical protection.
The historical precedent for leveraging communication lines in conflict is clear; during World War I, Britain severed German submarine cables, forcing them onto radio signals that could be intercepted, leading to the crucial interception that persuaded the US to join the war in 1917. Later, during the Cold War, the US Navy successfully bugged a Soviet cable in the Sea of Okhotsk in 1971, as detailed in Operation Ivy Bells.
Today's fiber-optic systems, while technologically superior, face similar strategic risks, making the cable network a primary strategic asset in modern conflict scenarios. Approximately 600 cable networks, totaling 1.6 million kilometers, crisscross the seabed, often funnelling through geographically narrow passages, creating critical chokepoints susceptible to simultaneous damage.
The Red Sea provided a stark contemporary example in February 2024 when a vessel struck by Houthi rebels damaged three major cables, disrupting a quarter of traffic between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The situation in the Baltic Sea is even more constrained, with all major cables passing through just three narrow access points.
Since October 2023, the Baltic has seen at least 13 cable damages involving aging, opaquely owned vessels dragging anchors across the seabed, including incidents involving the Newnew Polar Bear in October 2023 and the Yi Peng 3 in November 2024. "Some analysts argue that the Chinese are merely rehearsing in Europe what they propose to do to Taiwan in the event of a conflict," according to one assessment of the mysterious involvement of Chinese-linked vessels.
Addressing these dangers requires more than just reactive measures; NATO launched its Baltic Sentry exercises in 2025 to enhance infrastructure protection, and the European Commission announced a €347 million subsea-infrastructure package on February 5. Furthermore, Australia, Britain, and the US announced a joint project for "drone submarines" at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.
