DUBAI, U.A.E.: Iran has prepared plans to attack undersea communications cables in the Middle East if the United States and Israel launch another military campaign against the country, two senior Iranian security officials have told Reuters.

The officials said the cables could become targets if diplomatic efforts with Washington fail. They gave few details on how or where Iran might carry out the attacks, but said Tehran could try to prevent repairs to keep communication networks disrupted longer.

"If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines ... from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones," one of the officials said.

The official warned the United States against taking further military action and claimed Iran had full access to the undersea cables, making them easy to destroy.

Yadollah Javani, deputy head of political affairs for Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), said this week that Iran could target seven major internet cables running beneath the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian infrastructure came under attack.

Undersea cables carry around 99 percent of global internet traffic, according to the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency.

However, an attack in the Strait of Hormuz could have limited worldwide impact because less than one percent of international internet capacity passes through the waterway, said Alan Mauldin, research director at telecommunications research firm TeleGeography.

The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman and connects the Middle East with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The U.S. Department of State and Iran's Foreign Ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Middle East states also did not immediately comment on the warnings.

The reported plans reflect Iran's belief that any renewed U.S. military campaign would require a stronger response than previous confrontations.

Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei warned earlier this month that digital infrastructure linked to the United States across the Middle East could be targeted in another conflict. This could include data centers and artificial intelligence facilities.

Middle East countries allied with Washington have invested heavily in these technologies. An Iranian security official said they should hold Washington, rather than Tehran, responsible for any damage to undersea cables.

Analysts warned that several cable cuts could slow internet services and disrupt financial transactions, online shopping and cloud computing. The extent of the damage would depend on how quickly operators could redirect traffic through other networks and whether those connections had enough capacity, Mauldin said.

Repairing damaged cables during a war could be difficult. Higher insurance costs and delays in obtaining permission to enter territorial waters could further slow the work, experts said.

The Red Sea could provide a more significant target than the Strait of Hormuz, particularly if Iran received support from its Houthi allies in Yemen. However, Tehran has not publicly said it plans to attack cables in the Red Sea.

The Red Sea carries internet data between Europe, East Africa and Asia. According to Mauldin, the region carries about three percent of global international internet demand and around 10 percent of traffic between regions.

Iranian strikes directly hit two Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates in March and damaged infrastructure near another facility in Bahrain.

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

Despite the threats, land-based networks can provide alternative routes for internet traffic. Middle East countries and US technology companies are also investing in additional infrastructure to make communications networks more resilient and reduce the risk of major disruptions.