Iran is seeking to leverage its geographic position over the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman) by imposing licensing fees on the undersea internet cables that pass through it, targeting major tech firms including Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon. Tehran also wants to monopolise repair and maintenance of those cables and require the companies to comply with Iranian law, though experts say the legal basis for such demands is "very weak" under international law, as only two of the roughly seven cables in the Strait fall within Iranian territorial waters. While physically sabotaging the deeply buried cables would be difficult and risky, analysts warn Iran could still exert pressure through coercion — threatening to disrupt data flow or block maintenance — with the primary impact falling on Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar rather than Western nations.