Iran Warns It May Strike Cables and Data Centers as War Talks Stall

A senior Iranian official said Tehran finds the latest U.S. response to a proposal to end the war «insufficient» and warned that Iran could target cables, data centers, and artificial intelligence facilities across the region if intense fighting resumes. The statement from Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was carried by the state-run IRNA news agency and signals that negotiations to end the conflict and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled.

Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guard commander, said Iran is no longer responding to the United States and that Washington must clarify certain issues, without providing details. He said the U.S. has accepted some of the seven conditions Iran has set but others remain unclear. The comments came after Iran's delegation to the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders last month proposed a sped-up agreement that echoed the memorandum of understanding that collapsed days after the U.S. and Iran signed it in June. That new proposal was rejected, but the two sides have remained in contact through mediators.

Rezaei also threatened «cables, data centers, AI facilities and other sites in the region» if intense fighting breaks out again. The warning raises the prospect of attacks on critical infrastructure that underpins communications and computing across the Middle East. Meanwhile, the Guard's navy warned that any ship in the strait that turns off its navigation and identification systems would be «identified as hostile,» according to IRNA. Attacks on ships transiting the strait have increased since Iran's proposal was rejected, with one attack reported Sunday.

The diplomatic impasse comes as Saudi Arabia remains on alert after Houthi rebels in Yemen warned of new strikes. A projectile struck the same passenger terminal at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that was hit on Saturday. The airport had been closed after Saturday's attack, which killed 12 people, but Saudi authorities reported injuries in the latest attack. The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for both attacks on King Khalid International Airport, which has been targeted every day since Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesperson, urged «everyone to take our warnings seriously» about the risks of flying in Saudi airspace. The attacks mark a major escalation in the war between the Houthis and the kingdom and have complicated efforts to halt the U.S.-Iran war.

In Israel, the political future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hanging in the balance with elections weeks away. Israel's former attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, took the witness stand in Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial. Mandelblit indicted the prime minister seven years ago for fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes — the first-ever charges against a sitting Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu was in the courtroom to hear Mandelblit testify. The prime minister handpicked Mandelblit, his former Cabinet secretary, for the attorney general job, and his tenure ended in 2022. Netanyahu has been accused of offering or exchanging favors with wealthy associates and media moguls for political gain. He denies any wrongdoing.

Netanyahu has also asked the attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet security service to investigate people who participated in the 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 debuted at the Venice Film Festival to a record 25-minute standing ovation, tells «a false, misleading and biased story that slanders the State of Israel» and its military. The documentary has angered and unsettled Israelis, whose view of the war in Gaza differs sharply from that of much of the world, where criticism of Israel's actions in the Palestinian territory has grown. Netanyahu is fighting to stay in power in the Oct. 27 election, in which security is a major issue.

In Gaza, residents in the central part of the territory returned home to assess damage caused by Israeli strikes after they had been warned to evacuate the day before. Bassam Abed said at least 10 residences housing some 300 families were reduced to rubble, and families were not given enough time to flee. «Women slept outdoors. We did not take clothes,» Abed said. Israel's military said it had targeted militant infrastructure, including a rocket launch site and a command center used by Hamas militants to attack soldiers. One year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal, Israel continues to launch near-daily strikes.

Lebanon's army said it had recovered the body of a retired army officer who was killed by Israeli artillery fire while checking on his property in the southern town of Yater. It said Ali Abdul Hassan Sweidan was «directly targeted by a hostile Israeli tank» and called it «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 the outbreak of its latest war with the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in March.

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Derek Weston

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Derek Weston covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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