Iran is eyeing control of undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could give it huge leverage over global data and is bad news for the US, India, and big tech.

• Most of the world's internet runs through undersea cables, not satellites, and several key ones pass through Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran wants licensing fees, control over how cables operate, and to force Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta to follow Iranian law and use Iranian maintenance firms.
• India is the most exposed: 60% of its internet traffic runs through this route, and a cutoff would cripple its $250 billion IT sector and banking.
• Cables are easy targets — anchors, mines, or small subs can cut them, and repairs take weeks even in peacetime. China and Russia already test these tactics quietly.
• The US has no real defense for the cables and no good backup, since satellites carry only a tiny fraction of global traffic.

Outlook: Pressure builds on Washington to either strike a deal or push harder against Iran's IRGC before it gains real control over a global choke point.