Iran-linked ships are hovering over subsea cables in the Middle East shortly after the country threatened to attack digital infrastructure in the region.

It follows threats from Iran to attack cables and data centers if the US and Israel launch a fresh bombing campaign.

As reported by the Financial Times, at least four vessels tracked by maritime analytics company Windward have been spotted taking unusual routes and loitering over subsea cables traversing the Gulf of Oman in the days after Iran warned it would attack digital infrastructure if the US escalated attacks on the country.

The FT reports that three of the vessels were tankers subject to US sanctions, while the fourth was a small Iranian fishing craft that loitered over the Europe India Gateway and Transworld cables between October 21 and 26.

An attack on any of the subsea cable infrastructure would have a huge impact on several countries in the region, which rely heavily on the subsea cables for connectivity.

Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar are fully dependent on cables running under the Strait for their Internet connectivity.

Seven subsea cables run through the Strait of Hormuz, while three more are under construction, though they have been delayed due to the ongoing Iran war. One of those subsea cables is the 2Africa subsea cable. Meta paused work on a section of the company's 45,000-kilometer (28,000-mile) 2Africa subsea cable due to the war in the Middle East back in March.

Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz since the war with the US and Israel began in late February.

The reported circling of vessels over subsea cables follows on from previous threats from Iran that it could target subsea cables and data centers running through the Strait of Hormuz in response to President Donald Trump's suggestions that the US could launch further attacks against Iran.

“Seven major undersea Internet cables run through the Strait of Hormuz, carrying all commercial and Internet data. We just want [the US] to realize that new targets and new weapons shall be unveiled. And ultimately, we shall sweep the remnants of US power out of the region," said Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, on October 19.

Since the conflict kicked off in February, Iran has targeted data center infrastructure in neighboring Gulf countries, targeting the likes of Oracle and Amazon Web Services (AWS), while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) named 18 major US tech companies located in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" back in April.

Iran's own infrastructure has been targeted during the war, including data centers in the country.

Since the escalation of the conflict, the US has increased its military presence in the region. This week, the USS Theodore Roosevelt was reportedly seen in satellite images in the South China Sea traveling towards Singapore, which potentially adds to the two carriers already in the Middle East region.