Iranian officials, including IRGC spokespersons, issued explicit warnings in October 2026 that Tehran holds detailed plans to target undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States or Israel resumes strikes on Iranian infrastructure. These statements followed earlier threats tying cable disruption to any renewed military action amid ongoing regional tensions. Maritime tracking data from October revealed multiple Iran-linked vessels, including sanctioned tankers, exhibiting unusual loitering, looping, and transponder-dark behavior directly over cable corridors in the Gulf of Oman. No confirmed damage has occurred, leaving outcomes dependent on whether diplomacy holds or escalates before scheduled U.S. political events. Trader consensus reflects these recent signals of preparation and retaliation capacity as the dominant near-term risk factors.