(Comprehensive foreign report from Tehran, 17th) After successfully blockading the Strait of Hormuz during wartime, Iran is now turning its attention to the invisible lifeline of the global economy: submarine cables. Tehran plans to charge fees for cables laid in the strait and has hinted at possibly interfering with data transmission, putting parts of Eurasia and the Middle East at risk of internet outages. CNN reports that the submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz are responsible for transmitting a massive amount of internet and financial transaction data between Europe, Asia, and the Persian Gulf, and Iran hopes to collect related user fees from several of the world's largest tech companies. Iranian government-affiliated media have vaguely threatened that data transmission on the cables could be disrupted if companies refuse to pay. Last week, Iranian parliamentarians also discussed a plan to consider measures against cables connecting Arab countries with Eurasia. Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari announced last week on the social media platform X: "We will charge for the internet cables." Media associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that Tehran's plan to profit from the Strait of Hormuz would require companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon to comply with relevant laws. Submarine cable operators would have to pay licensing fees for cable passage, and the rights for repair and maintenance would be exclusively held by Iranian companies. Some of the aforementioned companies have indeed invested in submarine cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, but it is currently uncertain if any pass through Iranian waters. At the same time, it is unclear how Iranian authorities intend to force tech giants to comply, as U.S. sanctions already prohibit companies from making payments to Iran. As U.S. President Donald Trump returns from his visit to China, there are growing concerns that a U.S.-Iran war