There is a marked difference between Iran charging a toll on ships passing through its waters and taxing undersea cables in the Persian Gulf.

Through a maritime shipping toll, Iran, in collaboration with Oman, could make 10s of billions of dollars annually.

On the other hand, the toll on underwater cables would realistically only bring it a few hundred million dollars a year.

This is chump change compared to what the country could earn by imposing a transit toll on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

At the moment, the idea of charging tech companies for the undersea cables passing through the Iranian waters seems more like a threat than an actionable plan.

Such a move could also be a direct violation of the UNCLOS Article 79(2), which explicitly dictates that a coastal state "may not impede the laying or maintenance of such cables or pipelines.”

The leadership in Tehran should refrain from making any move that could erode Iran’s moral and diplomatic high ground, which it has attained over the past few weeks.