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Windward tracks Iran-linked ships loitering over Gulf of Oman subsea cables

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Windward tracks Iran-linked ships loitering over Gulf of Oman subsea cables

Several tankers linked to Iran have been loitering over subsea Internet cables in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. Ars Technica, relaying a Financial Times report, calls this a possible indication that the Iranian government is preparing to attack such undersea infrastructure in response to any renewed US and Israeli strikes.

The maritime intelligence firm Windward tracked the movements of three sanctioned tankers and an Iranian fishing boat near major undersea cables in October. Windward used both ship-tracking data and satellite images. The vessels slowed down and looped around near multiple cables, and some then went dark by switching off their automatic identification system (AIS) transponders, which normally broadcast a ship's location and other information.

Windward told the Financial Times that such movement and behaviour patterns suggest the Iran-linked ships may be "mapping the cable routes, or placing charges or mines on them while dark." In a blog post on October 26, Windward highlighted two sanctioned Iran-linked tankers that spent days drifting "directly over regional cable corridors" with, in its words, no commercial reason to stop. Both ships carried no commercial cargo.

The exposure is large. Six active cables currently cross the contested Strait of Hormuz, linking the Middle East to Europe, Africa and Asia, and two more cables have segments under construction in the region. Four countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, depend entirely on subsea connections running through the Hormuz chokepoint to reach the outside world. Others rely on the network heavily too: one third of India's westbound Internet traffic goes through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

One of the cables under construction, 2Africa, is owned by a tech consortium that includes the US company Meta. Its corridor was one of the major cable corridors visited by the drifting Iran-linked ships.

Key facts

  • Windward tracked three sanctioned Iran-linked tankers and an Iranian fishing boat near major undersea cables in the Gulf of Oman in October, according to the Financial Times.
  • The ships slowed, looped around near multiple cables, and some switched off their AIS transponders; Windward says they may be mapping cable routes or placing charges or mines while dark.
  • Six active cables cross the Strait of Hormuz, with two more under construction; four countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, depend entirely on such connections.
  • One third of India's westbound Internet traffic goes through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
  • The 2Africa cable, under construction and owned by a consortium that includes Meta, was among the corridors the ships visited.

Why it matters

Subsea cables carry most of a region's connection to the wider Internet, and the Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint for them. Six active cables cross it, linking the Middle East to Europe, Africa and Asia. Four countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, depend entirely on these connections, and one third of India's westbound Internet traffic passes through the Persian Gulf and the strait. Against that background, Windward's tracking is read as a possible sign that Iran is preparing to attack such infrastructure if US and Israeli strikes resume.

Who it affects

The most exposed are the four countries that rely entirely on subsea links through Hormuz: Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. India, with one third of its westbound Internet traffic on this route, is also named. Cable owners are in the picture too: the 2Africa cable, still under construction, belongs to a tech consortium that includes Meta, and its corridor was among those the ships visited.

How to use it

There is nothing to install or configure here; this is a situational report. Its practical value is as a reading of exposure: which routes cross the strait, which countries depend on them, and what kind of vessel behaviour Windward flags (slowing, looping, drifting over cable corridors, switching off AIS). For detail, the source points to Windward's October 26 blog post and the Financial Times report.

How solid is it

This is secondhand. Ars Technica relays a Financial Times report, which in turn rests on Windward's analysis of ship-tracking data and satellite images. The tracking of the vessels is the firm part. The interpretation is hedged: Windward says the patterns suggest the ships "may be" mapping routes or placing charges or mines, and Ars Technica calls the loitering "a possible indication" of attack preparation. The source gives no confirmation from Iran, the US, Israel or any cable owner.

Risks and caveats

No attack, cable damage or outage is reported; the story concerns suspicious loitering and Windward's assessment. No evidence is cited that charges or mines were actually placed. The tankers and cables other than 2Africa are not named, and no timescale for any possible attack is given. The source text also does not detail the warnings from Iran to Trump mentioned in the article's headline.

“mapping the cable routes, or placing charges or mines on them while dark”

— Windward, to the Financial Times