Iran Media Outlet Says Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon Should Pay Fees for Hormuz Undersea Cables (UPDATED)

Editor's note: The story has been updated to include a comment from Central Command.

An Iranian news agency argued that Tehran should require Google's parent Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)/a> (NASDAQ:GOOGL)/a>, Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)/a>, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT)/a> and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)/a> to obtain permits and pay ongoing fees for subsea internet cables crossing Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz.

Targets FALCON and GBI Cables

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, in an analysis published on Monday, said that Iran should apply its domestic laws to the FALCON and Gulf Bridge International cable systems, which it says pass through Iranian territorial waters.

It described the four companies as owning a large portion of the cables’ capacity and said they should obtain passage permits and pay operating licenses and fees.

According to TeleGeography data, Google has direct ownership or majority stakes in 34 cable systems worldwide, and Meta in 20.

The report did not mention whether companies have been contacted.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, along with the Iranian government, did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment. The Department of War declined to comment and directed questions to the U.S. Central Command

"We do not discuss intelligence assessments for operational security reasons," the Central Command said./p> div class="bz-read-next-block" data-variant="card" data-news-mode="manual" >

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Iran Threatens Regional Infrastructure

Over the weekend, Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warned that renewed fighting with the U.S. could threaten "cables, data centers, AI facilities and other sites in the region," according to PBS, citing state-run IRNA.

In a post on X on Sunday, Rezaei said the U.S. had agreed to some of Iran’s seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but that Tehran considers Washington's response "inadequate" and that there will be "no return to the status quo ante."

Legal Argument Rests on Territorial Waters

Tasnim argued that the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea gives coastal states absolute sovereignty over the seabed within 12 nautical miles, where the treaty’s cable protections do not apply, and said that leaves room for Iran to charge for safety, environmental and governance services.

Price Action: On Monday, Alphabet's Class A stock closed 0.30% higher at $352.72 and gained 0.18% to $353.35 in after-hours trading. Its Class C shares closed 0.32% higher at $348.97 and rose 0.18% to $349.61 in extended trading.

Benzinga Edge rankings indicate Google's Class A stock has a Momentum score in the 83rd percentile and a Growth score in the 88th percentile. /p> figure class="wp-block-image size-large">/figure> div class="bz-see-more-ranking-block" data-ranking="momentum" data-theme="light" data-variant="basic" >

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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