At the height of the war in March, the IRGC also named US technology companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple and Nvidia, as legitimate targets.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has blamed the United States for the failure of an interim agreement with Tehran while calling for renewed efforts to reach a deal, as tensions rise over the possibility of another military confrontation.

In remarks broadcast on Iranian state television on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Washington disrupted negotiations but argued that diplomatic efforts should continue.

“We were having negotiations; the cowards [Americans] messed everything up… I still think we should go and conclude it,” he said.

US Intelligence Warns of Iranian Plots Against Officials

US intelligence has identified an increase in Iranian efforts to target American officials in the Middle East and other countries, with some alleged plots reaching advanced stages, Axios reported on Friday.

The report cited an unclassified memo dated October 23 from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The memo said the information was relevant to more personnel than were currently authorised to access it.

The one-page document did not identify specific targets, countries outside the Middle East or details about the alleged plots.

According to Axios, the underlying intelligence had been shared with senior State Department officials. Clayton offered to downgrade the information’s classification as much as possible to allow Rubio to distribute it more widely.

A US official told the outlet that the intelligence was among the reasons for reducing embassy staffing in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, a move previously reported by CNN.

Trump Raises Possibility of Another Operation Against Iran

US President Donald Trump has said Washington could launch another military operation against Iran as the conflict approaches its eighth month and rising fuel prices create political pressure ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump told a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, referring to the US military’s name for its war against Iran. He provided no further details.

Trump said the United States could end the war quickly but questioned whether Washington should seek an immediate conclusion or allow the conflict to wind down gradually.

His statements followed a series of shifting timelines and objectives for the war. In recent campaign remarks, Trump has said the conflict would end soon, “one way or the other.”

Earlier this month, he said the United States would not attack Iran before the November 3 elections, which will determine control of Congress. Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers.

Trump Turns Attention to Cuba After Iran War

Trump also used his Florida rally to signal that he intended to address Cuba after the Iran conflict was settled, continuing his administration’s pressure on the communist-led government.

During the 90-minute speech, he linked the Iran war to rising oil prices, an issue weighing on Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

Trump also said he planned to spend $250 million to hire at least 5,000 additional nurses for elder-care facilities across the United States.

Addressing Cuba, Trump said American naval forces returning from the Middle East could stop near the island.

“We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands, and then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal,” he said.

Rubio, a former US senator from Florida, has been handling much of the administration’s Cuba policy.

Trump won 68% of the Cuban American vote in Florida in the 2024 election, according to the figures cited in the report.

Iran Says Two Tankers Hit Naval Mines Near Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Friday that two tankers struck naval mines while attempting to use what it described as an “unauthorised route” south of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.

The reported incidents come amid wider regional tensions and concerns about the security of shipping routes around the strategic waterway.

Iran Threatens Gulf Undersea Cables if War Resumes

Iran has developed detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel launch another attack, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

The officials, who spoke anonymously, provided few operational details and did not specify where or how Iran might carry out such attacks. One said Tehran could also seek to prevent repairs, prolonging disruptions to internet connectivity and other communications.

“If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines … from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones,” one official said, warning Washington not to “play with fire.”

Yadollah Javani, the IRGC’s deputy head of political affairs, said on Wednesday that Iran could target seven major internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian infrastructure came under attack.

The US State Department and Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Gulf states had also not publicly commented on the officials’ remarks at the time of the report.

Potential Impact on Internet and Financial Services

Undersea cables carry around 99% of global internet traffic, according to the International Telecommunication Union. However, Alan Mauldin, research director at telecommunications research firm TeleGeography, said less than 1% of international bandwidth passes through the Strait of Hormuz, limiting the potential global impact of attacks confined to that route.

Multiple cable cuts could nevertheless slow internet services and disrupt financial transactions, e-commerce and cloud computing. The extent of the disruption would depend on how quickly operators rerouted traffic and the capacity available through alternative connections.

Repairs could become more difficult during a conflict, while higher insurance costs and delays in securing permission to enter territorial waters could prolong outages.

The Red Sea could represent a more significant vulnerability, particularly if Iran received support from its Houthi allies in Yemen. Tehran has not publicly announced plans to target cables in the area.

According to Mauldin, the Red Sea carries data between Europe, East Africa and Asia. Routes through the region account for about 3% of global international demand and approximately 10% of traffic travelling between regions.

Gulf Technology Infrastructure Faces Wider Risks

Gulf governments have invested heavily in technology infrastructure as they seek to diversify their economies beyond oil and establish themselves as artificial intelligence hubs. These ambitions have strengthened ties with US technology companies.

Iranian strikes directly hit two Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates in March and damaged infrastructure near one of the company’s facilities in Bahrain, according to the report.

At the height of the war in March, the IRGC also named US technology companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple and Nvidia, as legitimate targets.

Iranian officials have separately warned that US-linked digital infrastructure across the Gulf, including data centres and artificial intelligence facilities, could face attacks if fighting resumes.

One Iranian security official argued that Gulf states and US technology companies should hold Washington responsible for any damage resulting from a renewed conflict.

Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the threats appeared intended to deter further military action by increasing concerns among Gulf governments and corporate executives about the security of their investments.

Land-based networks could provide alternative routes for internet traffic. Gulf states and technology companies are also investing in additional infrastructure to strengthen connectivity and reduce reliance on vulnerable routes.

Microsoft plans to invest more than $400 million in subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.