Politics 6 min read By Alice Ashford
Iran Warns of Attacks on Gulf Data Cables and AI Sites as US Talks Stall
A senior Iranian official says Washington's latest response to a proposal to end the war is insufficient and threatens regional data centres, cables and AI facilities if fighting escalates again, as attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz increase.
A senior Iranian official has warned that Tehran could target cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities across the region if intense fighting resumes, after describing the latest United States response to a proposal for ending the war as insufficient.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a former Revolutionary Guard commander, said Washington had accepted some of seven conditions set out by Tehran but left others unclear. His remarks were carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. Rezaei said Iran was no longer responding to the United States and that Washington must clarify certain issues, without giving further detail.
The warning marks a sharp escalation in rhetoric around infrastructure that underpins Gulf finance, communications and cloud computing. Data centres and submarine cables in the region carry traffic for banks, energy firms and governments, and any disruption would have consequences well beyond the immediate conflict zone.
Iran's delegation to the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders last month proposed an accelerated agreement echoing the memorandum of understanding that collapsed days after it was signed in June. The new proposal was rejected, though the two sides have remained in contact through mediators.
Rezaei's threat to hit regional data and AI sites came as the Revolutionary Guard's navy warned that any vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that switches off its navigation and identification systems would be treated as hostile. Attacks on ships transiting the strait have increased since Iran's proposal was rejected, with one reported on Sunday.
The strait remains central to global energy flows, and continued disruption to shipping would raise costs for importers and insurers far beyond the Middle East. The comments suggest negotiations to end the war and fully reopen the waterway are making little headway.
Separately, Saudi Arabia is on heightened alert after Houthi rebels in Yemen warned of further strikes on the kingdom's airports. A projectile struck the same passenger terminal at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that was hit a day earlier, when 12 people were killed. The airport had been closed after that attack, and Saudi authorities reported injuries in the latest incident.
The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for both attacks on King Khalid International Airport, which has been targeted every day since Wednesday. Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesperson, urged everyone to take its warnings seriously about the risks of flying in Saudi airspace. The strikes mark a major escalation in the Houthis' war with the kingdom and have complicated efforts to halt the wider US-Iran conflict.
In Israel, the country's former attorney general took the witness stand in the long-running corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Avichai Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu seven years ago on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes, the first such charges against a sitting Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu, who was in court to hear the testimony, handpicked Mandelblit, his former cabinet secretary, for the attorney general role. He denies any wrongdoing.
The testimony comes weeks before an election on 27 October in which security is a dominant issue and Netanyahu is fighting to stay in power. He has also asked the attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet security service to investigate those involved in a new documentary, «NAZA», in which Israeli military insiders describe what they say was the reckless killing of civilians in Gaza. Netanyahu said the film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, tells a false and biased story that slanders Israel and its military.
In Gaza, residents of the central strip returned to assess damage from Israeli strikes after being warned to evacuate the previous day. Bassam Abed said at least 10 residences housing some 300 families were reduced to rubble and that families were not given enough time to flee. Israel's military said it had targeted militant infrastructure, including a rocket launch site and a command centre used by Hamas to attack soldiers. A year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire, near-daily strikes continue.
Lebanon's army said it recovered the body of a retired officer, Ali Abdul Hassan Sweidan, who was killed by Israeli artillery fire while checking on his property in the southern town of Yater. It called the shelling a flagrant violation of existing understandings. An Israeli military spokesperson said they were not aware of the incident. Israel has occupied a large swath of southern Lebanon since its latest war with Hezbollah began in March.
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