Iran has warned that the next round of war could extend from tankers and oil facilities to the cables and data centres powering the Gulf’s internet and AI ambitions. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said American-linked technology infrastructure could become a target if Washington attacks again.

His warning, published on October 11, raises the stakes for a region trying to turn energy wealth into computing power. Damage to communications networks could reach businesses far beyond the battlefield, affecting access to cloud services, international transactions and the infrastructure supporting new AI investments.

Tehran widens its target list

In an exclusive interview with state broadcaster Press TV, conducted on October 10, Rezaei said Iran had so far held back from targeting certain American technological assets in the region.

He warned:

We have not yet included these assets among our targets. But if war breaks out, many of these cables, data centers, artificial intelligence facilities, and numerous other sites will be destroyed.

Rezaei claimed U.S.-linked technology infrastructure in the region was worth more than $2 trillion, without supplying an itemised valuation in the published interview. The figure remains his estimate, rather than an established measure of assets exposed to attack.

He did not identify particular cables, operators or data-centre sites. His warning describes a possible expansion of Iranian targeting; it does not establish that Tehran can disconnect the entire Gulf.

Why the cables matter

TeleGeography, which tracks the industry, explains that submarine fibre-optic systems carry data between countries, while telecom operators spread capacity across multiple cables to maintain service when one fails.

Losing a cable need not cause a complete outage if traffic can move onto another route. Simultaneous damage across several connections, however, could make that protection less effective. The consequences would depend on which systems were affected and how much alternative capacity remained.

For banks, airlines and companies using remote computing, the risk is access to services rather than simply slower browsing. Damage to a data centre adds another problem: an alternative communications route cannot replace servers or other equipment destroyed at the destination.

The Gulf’s AI bet becomes a security question

In its May 2025 Stargate UAE announcement, OpenAI outlined a one-gigawatt cluster in Abu Dhabi, with an initial 200 megawatts expected to go live in 2026. Its partners included G42, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco and SoftBank.

The project ties the UAE’s industrial ambitions to American chip and cloud suppliers. Rezaei did not name Stargate as a target, and the announced schedule does not confirm how much capacity is currently operating.

In July, G42 welcomed U.S. approval for it and Core42 to receive advanced computing equipment under the bilateral AI framework. That development underlines how access to American technology has become part of the region’s economic strategy.

For investors, the threat introduces a security question alongside the usual concerns about chips, electricity and customer demand. Computing equipment can be financed and installed; keeping its facilities and connections available during a regional war is a separate challenge.

Shipping pressure and unfinished diplomacy

The confrontation already involves physical infrastructure. In an October 10 statement, U.S. Central Command said a fighter jet disabled the propulsion of a commercial cargo vessel attempting to violate its blockade against Iran, without harming the crew.

As previously reported by Apex, attacks and shipping restrictions have disrupted Hormuz. Rezaei insisted Iran would retain management of the waterway:

From now on, therefore, we will maintain control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz. It will remain under our management to ensure peace and security in the region. We will not back down on this issue.

He also said diplomacy would continue, but called Washington’s response to Iranian conditions inadequate. The digital threat gives that negotiation another source of pressure: the Gulf’s next economic engine could become entangled in the same confrontation already disrupting its energy trade.