How realistic is threat of Iran charging to use internet cables under strait of Hormuz?

One expert says Iranian forces would be facing a ‘suicide mission’ if they tried to cut internet cables in the strait of Hormuz because of the likely US military response. Photograph: Reuters

Could undersea cables – the sinews of the global internet – become the next frontier in the US-Israel war against Iran?

Last week, two Iranian state-linked media channels, Tasnim and Fars, suggested Iran could leverage its power over the strait of Hormuz, the 25-mile (40km) stretch between Iran and Oman, by charging US tech companies to use the internet cables that traverse the strait. Tasnim implied this could be a lucrative proposition, netting Iran hundreds of millions of dollars each year.