Ships loiter near subsea cables amid Iran's warnings to Trump

Iran-linked ships have been tracked near major subsea cables in the Gulf of Oman, raising concerns that the Iranian government is preparing to attack them in response to potential US and Israeli military strikes. The ships, including three sanctioned tankers and an Iranian fishing boat, have been seen slowing down and looping around multiple cables, and in some cases, switching off their tracking systems. This behavior suggests that the ships may be mapping the cable routes or placing charges or mines on them. The cables in question are crucial for the internet connectivity of several countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, which rely entirely on these connections to link with the outside world. The 2Africa cable, owned by a tech consortium that includes Meta, is also located in the region and has been visited by the Iran-linked ships. The ships' movements have been tracked by the maritime intelligence firm Windward, which has used ship-tracking data and satellite images to monitor their activities.