I hope people understand that Iran has been allowed to act tough because the US doesn't want to disrupt oil infrastructure. The US military could level the country in 6 hours. The IRCG could continue to fight but it would be for nothing at that point. The US has actually let empty tankers through the blockade to prevent Iranian wells from getting total fucked. Each empty tanker is like 3% of Irans storage capacity.

Also while I'm here, Iran is poor as fuck. Their GDP per cap is half of Saudi arabia. The Iranian regime has been the worst thing for the Iranian people. It's a totally artificial hindrance.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865402&forum_id=2Vannesa#49877312)

Lots of countries that entertained belt and road efforts now realize China doesn't have the ingredients needed for the future. GDP as a percentage of US peaked in 2022 and it's not ever getting that close again.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865402&forum_id=2Vannesa#49877374)

UAE/Saudi split growing even more.

US traded $100b in war costs plus losing Saudi, Qatar, Kawait as allies plus giving Iran tens of billions of dollars annually in free money in exchange for destroying Iran's current military.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865402&forum_id=2Vannesa#49877417)

The details are remarkable.

Under the new policy being considered, foreign operators would be required to obtain permits to use these cables, pay fees, follow Iranian law, and all management and maintenance would be handled by Iranian companies.

The IRGC has previously warned it could physically target these same cables.

This is the same Hormuz playbook applied to digital infrastructure.

Iran already passed parliamentary legislation establishing toll collection on shipping.

Now Tehran is preparing to apply identical leverage to the data cables that carry traffic between Europe, Asia, and the Gulf.

The strait isn't just a chokepoint for oil anymore.

Iran is positioning it as a chokepoint for global communications.

The strategic implications are MASSIVE.

These cables carry an enormous share of data traffic between Asian economies and European markets.

Banking transactions. Stock trading. Cloud services. Government communications.

The same infrastructure that powers global commerce runs through waters Iran is now claiming jurisdiction over.

For Tehran, this is the next iteration of the leverage strategy that has worked all war.

Block oil shipping until you get sanctions relief.

Now propose to control data flows until you get more concessions.

Each new chokepoint Iran formalizes creates additional pressure that the U.S. has to address in any final deal.

The IRGC's warning that it could target the cables physically is the velvet glove on the iron fist.

Pay the fees, follow Iranian law, accept Iranian management, or risk the entire global communications architecture between Europe and Asia going dark.

That's the kind of asymmetric threat that doesn't require nuclear weapons or even particularly sophisticated military capability.

https://x.com/i/status/2053254237836972235

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865402&forum_id=2Vannesa#49877439)

https://x.com/i/status/2053297239250878565

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865402&forum_id=2Vannesa#49877816)