Beneath the world's oceans lies a vast network of submarine fibre-optic cables carrying the communications, financial transactions and digital services on which modern civilisation depends. Yet when these cables are damaged, sabotaged or threatened, who has the legal authority to protect them, identify the perpetrators and hold them accountable?

Iran’s suggestion that it may collect tolls from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz raises complex questions under international maritime law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This article examines whether such tolls would violate transit passage rights, explores enforcement limitations, and analyses the broader strategic consequences.