While global attention focuses on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the US-Iran conflict highlights a lesser-known vulnerability: undersea internet cables in the Middle East. An Iranian media outlet recently warned that the Strait is critical not only for oil but also for internet communications. Damage to these cables could severely disrupt the region's digital infrastructure.

The world’s eyes have been fixed on the oil tankers clogging the Strait of Hormuz. But the US-Israel war on Iran has exposed a quieter vulnerability: the undersea cables that form the digital backbone of the Middle East. Last week, a media outlet affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps highlighted that the strait functioned not only as a crucial chokepoint for oil and gas shipments but also as an essential corridor for internet communications. The outlet warned that damage to....