Iran threatens Gulf data centres: How exposed is the region’s internet?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, has warned that data centres, undersea cables and artificial intelligence facilities across the Middle East could be targeted if war with the United States resumes. The warning comes amid heightened concern over internet infrastructure in and around the Red Sea, especially after Houthi forces took control of territory near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a narrow waterway that carries a large share of global internet traffic between Europe and Asia.

The article says the region’s digital systems are vulnerable because so much connectivity depends on a limited number of submarine cables and fixed data-centre sites. It cites previous disruptions in the Gulf, including drone strikes affecting Amazon Web Services sites in the UAE and Bahrain earlier this year, and earlier damage to undersea cables in the Red Sea. Experts quoted by Al Jazeera say such infrastructure can be difficult to defend continuously and that even limited attacks can have broad economic effects.

Al Jazeera also notes that Iran has repeatedly threatened major technology companies and cloud infrastructure since the wider conflict began. At the same time, Gulf states and global tech firms are trying to build alternative routes and more resilient networks, including new land and fibre links through Iraq and major planned investments from companies such as Microsoft and AWS.

The reporting suggests the issue matters well beyond one conflict: the Gulf’s ambitions to become a technology hub depend on reliable digital infrastructure, while ongoing conflict increases the risk that regional internet access, cloud services and AI projects could be disrupted.