Iranian news outlets linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published proposals on May 9 for Iran to start charging international companies a fee to use undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz. The two news agencies, Tasnim and Fars, also suggested that the Islamic Republic begin charging foreign technology companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Meta annual licensing fees to use the cables and give Iranian companies exclusive control over maintenance and repair of the cables.

Nine sea cables cross the Strait of Hormuz directly, while numerous others run throughout the Persian Gulf and are primarily owned by regional technology companies. Internet cables are typically the thickness of a garden hose and are vulnerable to incidental outages resulting from fishing vessels and cargo ships dragging trawlers or anchors.