The Financial Times reported that at least four vessels linked to the Islamic Republic have been in the Sea of Oman, moving over the routes of submarine communication cables in unusual ways and making prolonged stops; activities that were recorded after Tehran threatened to attack digital infrastructure.

The newspaper, citing the maritime analysis company “Windward,” wrote that three of the vessels are tankers subject to U.S. sanctions and that the fourth is an Iranian fishing boat.

According to Windward, after reaching the specified cable routes, these vessels reduced their speed, turned around, returned, stopped, or switched off their location-transmission system. The company said that transporting cargo cannot explain such behavior.

Windward said this pattern is consistent with identifying cable routes or laying explosives and mines while the tracking system is turned off. However, it did not confirm that such actions occurred.

As written by the Financial Times, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar connect their internet entirely through cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and damage to these cables could disrupt communications and economic activity in the region.