Worldwide Internet Shutdown? The Viral Iran Claim Might Be Wrong, But Here’s What You Shouldn’t Ignore

A post has been going around online saying Iran is about to cut 95–99% of the world’s internet by targeting undersea cables.

That claim is not confirmed by Iranian officials, intelligence agencies, or credible news sources. A sudden worldwide internet shutdown is highly unlikely.

But there is a real issue that travellers should worry about.

Most people don’t realise how fragile the internet really is. Around 97% of global internet traffic travels through undersea fibre-optic cables, not satellites. These cables are thin glass strands lying on the ocean floor with no protection.

Your banking, WhatsApp, cloud photos, flight bookings, and emails all travel through these invisible cables.

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Right now, two key areas for these cables — the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea — are active conflict zones. This has never happened before.

In 2024, a missile hit a cargo ship in the Red Sea. Its anchor dragged on the seabed and cut three major undersea cables, slowing down internet traffic between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East by about 25%. Repairs took five months because no ship could safely work in the area. This accident showed just how vulnerable the internet is.

Alcatel Submarine Networks, a top company for undersea cables, said it cannot safely operate in the Persian Gulf due to military activity. Projects like Meta’s 2Africa Pearls cable, which is meant to connect billions of people, are stuck half-finished, with billions of dollars tied up.

Groups like the Houthis in Yemen, who are connected to Iran, control parts of the Red Sea cables. They have cut cables before and could do it again. Iran wouldn’t even need to fire a missile from its own soil.

So can Iran attack the internet? Not in the dramatic way the viral posts suggest. You cannot just fire missiles and cut cables from far away.

But the internet can still be disrupted. Proxy forces in the Red Sea can block cable routes. Mines or unexploded bombs in the Strait of Hormuz make repairs impossible for years. Attacks or damage at cable landing stations in Gulf countries are also possible.

Even after conflicts end, clearing debris and repairing cables could take years, not weeks or months. You don’t need to deliberately cut a cable to slow the internet. You just need to make it impossible for repairs to happen.

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Right now, no cable repair ship can safely operate in these key areas. This risk is real and concerning, even if it’s not a total worldwide shutdown.

For travellers, this doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly have no internet abroad. But you could experience slow maps and apps, delayed messages to hosts or travel companions, and payment or booking delays.

This isn’t an internet apocalypse. It’s a reminder that the global internet is physical and fragile, and real-world events like conflicts can affect connectivity in ways that matter, especially when you rely on it while travelling.