[64867] Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and threatens global internet infrastructure

Growing tension in the Strait of Hormuz and technological threats from Iran

According to reports from 301 News Arab World, Iran has opened a new front against global tech giants (Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon). According to the report, Tehran is threatening to impose a "digital passage fee" on undersea internet cables passing through its territorial waters, while demanding that the companies comply with the regime's censorship. Experts warn that this is an attempt to replicate the "Suez Canal" model in the virtual realm.

At the same time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed in a press conference that advanced negotiations are underway with Oman to formulate a "new security and operational mechanism" for managing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Baghaei emphasized that Tehran and Oman consider themselves the sole authorities in the region, and noted that his country is not afraid of the Trump administration's threats and is preparing "confrontation plans" (Kan 11).

The Iranian newspaper "Khorasan" reports, as published in 301 News, that there is an internal assessment in Tehran that a direct military confrontation with the US and Israel is "inevitable and imminent." The report states that Iran has defined a "new bank of targets" in the Gulf, which may include the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Strategically, Iran continues to deepen its ties with China. As published in the newspaper "Shargh", the appointment of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as a special representative for Chinese affairs is intended to strengthen economic coordination under the burden of international sanctions, this while the US Treasury Secretary calls on G7 countries to continue and enforce sanctions on the Iranian "war machine" (301 News).