Four Iran-linked vessels sail slowly near cable route in Gulf of Oman

Four Iran-linked vessels loitered or circled near undersea communications cable routes in the Gulf of Oman between October 5 and 28, with some briefly dropping their location signals, according to analysis by maritime intelligence firm Windward. Three of the ships were U.S.-sanctioned tankers and the fourth was an Iranian-flagged general cargo vessel that Windward classifies within a fishing support fleet, with movements tracked via AIS and satellite data off Oman's Batinah coast and Iran's Makran coast. The most detailed case was the Iranian-flagged tanker CELESTIAL SEA, which was recorded operating at low speed along the cable corridor on October 14. No evidence of actual cable damage or an attack has been presented, leaving the significance of the maneuvers unresolved. Traders and analysts will watch whether the vessels' behavior persists and whether any cable faults or disruptions to Gulf data connectivity emerge.