{"text":[[{"start":10.66,"text":"Ships linked to Iran have been hovering over subterranean telecoms cables in the Middle East after Tehran threatened to attack cables and data centres if the US and Israel launch a fresh bombing campaign."}],[{"start":22.64,"text":"At least four vessels tracked by the maritime analytics company Windward have been observed taking unusual routes and loitering over subsea cables traversing the Gulf of Oman in the days after Iran warned of disruption to digital infrastructure if the US escalated the conflict."}],[{"start":39.44,"text":"Three were tankers subject to US sanctions, while the fourth was a small Iranian fishing craft that loitered over the Europe India Gateway and Transworld cables between October 21 and 26, according to Windward data."}],[{"start":53.22,"text":"Any attack on subterranean cables in the region would have a major impact on neighbouring Gulf economies. According to data from TeleGeography, six cables run through the strait while three more — Fibre in Gulf, Sea-Me-We 6 and 2Africa — are under construction. 2Africa is the closest to completion."}],[{"start":68.16,"text":"Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar are wholly dependent on cables running under the strait for their internet connectivity."}],[{"start":78.1,"text":"The tankers were observed — using a mix of ship-tracking data and satellite imagery — slowing their pace above cables including 2Africa, which is due to connect several Gulf countries with a network through the Red Sea and down the east coast of Africa, and Falcon, which links Gulf countries to India and Africa."}],[{"start":null,"text":"
"}],[{"start":95.6,"text":"Two of the tankers were empty, while all have switched off their tracking data at various points over the past month."}],[{"start":101.52,"text":"Unlike other vessels, which have been waiting in the area for oil cargoes coming out of the Gulf, the ships sailed “normally until they reached a specific cable corridor, and only then slowed, looped, turned back, loitered or went dark”, Windward told the FT."}],[{"start":116.32,"text":"The vessels all followed a pattern that “fits the profile of mapping the cable routes, or placing charges or mines on them while dark”, it added."}],[{"start":124.56,"text":"Tehran has been vocal in its threats against cables and data centres running through the Strait of Hormuz over the past month, in response to suggestions from US President Donald Trump and other senior US figures in the run-up to this week’s midterm elections that they would launch further attacks on the Islamic republic."}],[{"start":144.36,"text":"Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on October 19: “Seven major undersea internet cables run through the Strait of Hormuz, carrying all commercial and internet data. We just want [the US] to realise that new targets and new weapons shall be unveiled. And ultimately, we shall sweep the remnants of US power out of the region.”"}],[{"start":163.68,"text":"That echoed comments by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, a week earlier threatening that “data centres and artificial intelligence facilities will be destroyed”. Yadollah Javani, deputy commander of the IRGC for political affairs, said later in October that assets “including internet cables” would be damaged in retaliation for attacks on Iran’s own infrastructure."}],[{"start":188.2,"text":"The US has continued to move military assets into the region. An aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was seen on satellite images in the South China Sea travelling towards Singapore early on Wednesday, potentially adding to two carriers already in the Middle East region."}],[{"start":204.36,"text":"Masha Kotkin, a former US state department official and fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank, said AI, cloud computing, data centres and other digital activities in the Gulf depended on subsea fibre optic cables."}],[{"start":218.84,"text":"Any damage would result in “slower internet [and] financial transactions” and would “disrupt communications networks, ecommerce and cloud computing”, Kotkin said."}],[{"start":228.32,"text":"Connectivity is also a significant part of the Gulf countries’ efforts to diversify away from hydrocarbons and become a hub for digital businesses. Threats in the region had already halted construction on several cable projects, Kotkin noted."}],[{"start":242.48,"text":"Celestial Sea, one of the tankers under sanctions, drifted in a loop for just over four hours around the 2Africa cable on October 14 before turning off its signalling system on October 15 between 2Africa and Bay of Bengal Gateway, which runs from the United Arab Emirates and Oman to Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India. Four days later it U-turned above the cable before anchoring off Shinas."}],[{"start":266.36,"text":"Its owner, Glory International FZ, did not respond to a request for comment."}],[{"start":270.74,"text":"Another loitered at under one knot for 10 days in Iranian waters close to the Europe India Gateway, Transworld, the Bay of Bengal Gateway and SeaMeWe-4 in mid-October. It repeatedly turned off its signalling system, including for more than 33 hours on October 17, according to Windward’s ship-tracking and satellite imagery."}],[{"start":292.64,"text":"Several other tankers were observed drifting over cables such as AAE-1, Bay of Bengal Gateway and 2Africa earlier in October, ahead of Iran’s threats."}],[{"start":302.48,"text":"Windward said the behaviours did not match those of any other vessels in the region and that cargo logistics did not explain the movements."}],[{"start":310.4,"text":"Sid Kaushal, a naval warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said the odd manoeuvres could be a coincidence but “Iran might be trying to demonstrate its capacity to damage undersea infrastructure if there is a war”."}],[{"start":323.68,"text":"Jon Pentreath, a retired rear admiral in the Royal Navy, said that while there could be “all sorts of reasons” for suspicious behaviour, ships could also easily be modified to lay mines."}],[{"start":335.2,"text":"“Pretty much any vessel can launch mines but would need some modifications such as mine rails,” he said."}],[{"start":341.24,"text":"Additional reporting by David Hindley"}],[{"start":347.62,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793950922_5080.mp3"}