{"id":871,"date":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/05\/20\/digital-bottleneck-how-iran-wants-to-leverage-internet-access-for-the-war\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","slug":"digital-bottleneck-how-iran-wants-to-leverage-internet-access-for-the-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=871","title":{"rendered":"Digital bottleneck: How Iran wants to leverage internet access for the war"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--banner-top o-ad-container--with-shimmer o-ad-container--with-background\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><br \/>\n                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-type=\"sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-status=\"disabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring__wrapper\">\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content t-content--article\" id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"t-content__above-sidebar\">\n<h1 class=\"t-content__title a-page-title\">Digital bottleneck: How Iran wants to leverage internet access for the war<\/h1>\n<div class=\"m-master-tag\">\n<div class=\"a-tag-cartouche\">Analysis<\/div>\n<div class=\"a-tag-section\">\n                                    Middle East\n                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"t-content__chapo\">\n                                        Tehran is floating the idea of charging the world\u2019s largest tech companies \u2013 including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon \u2013 for using the undersea internet cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz in a new attempt to exploit its control over the critical waterway to ratchet up economic pressure on the West.\u00a0\u00a0                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__with-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"t-content__beside-sidebar\" data-article-content>\n<div class=\"t-content__metadata\">\n<div class=\"t-content__dates\">\n<p class=\"m-pub-dates\"><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Issued on: <time datetime=\"2026-05-20T19:18:46+00:00\">20\/05\/2026 &#8211; 21:18<\/time><\/span><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Modified: <time datetime=\"2026-05-20T19:44:37+00:00\">20\/05\/2026 &#8211; 21:44<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-reading-time\">\n    <span class=\"a-reading-time__icon\" title=\"Reading time\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><br \/>\n    4 min    <span class=\"u-sr-only\">Reading time<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-share-button\" data-root-share>\n<p>                            <span class=\"a-master-button__label\">Share<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__authors\">\n<div class=\"m-from-author\">\n                    <span class=\"m-from-author__by-label\"><br \/>\n                By:<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-author\">\n<div class=\"m-author__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"\/en\/sebastian-seibt\/\" title=\"S\u00e9bastian SEIBT\" class=\"m-author__name__title\"><br \/>\n                                S\u00e9bastian SEIBT<br \/>\n                            <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__main-media\">\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/1b3699c4-5396-11f1-b71e-005056bf30b7\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/internet-cable-ormuz.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/1b3699c4-5396-11f1-b71e-005056bf30b7\/w:388\/p:16x9\/internet-cable-ormuz.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/1b3699c4-5396-11f1-b71e-005056bf30b7\/w:720\/p:16x9\/internet-cable-ormuz.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/1b3699c4-5396-11f1-b71e-005056bf30b7\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/internet-cable-ormuz.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1012px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"High-tech fiber optic cables glowing with blue light extend into the distance on the ocean floor, symbolizing global communication networks\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                <span>Illustration: High-tech fiber optic cables glowing with blue light extend into the distance on the ocean floor, symbolising global communication networks.<\/span>                <span>Getty Images &#8211; imaginima<\/span>            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<p>Encouraged by its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/strait-of-hormuz-blockade-who-will-blink-first\" target=\"_self\">successful wartime blockade<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/iran\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Iran<\/a> now wants to extend its control beneath the critical waterway by imposing fees on the internet cables that traverse the Strait.<\/p>\n<p>As negotiations with the US stall, Iranian authorities are eyeing the <a href=\"https:\/\/sumernow.com\/en\/article\/treasure-bottom-hormuz-fars-tehran-right-declare-sovereignty-over-internet-cables-in-strait\" target=\"_blank\">\u201ctreasure at the bottom of the Strait of Hormuz\u201d<\/a>, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018At least seven cables\u2019 lie beneath \u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>The Islamic Republic wants to charge technology giants like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/google\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Google<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/meta\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Meta<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/microsoft\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Microsoft<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/amazon-inc\/\" target=\"_self\">Amazon<\/a> licensing fees for the use of the undersea cables. The plan would also monopolise the repair and maintenance of these subsea cables, presumably by giving such contracts exclusively to Iranian companies.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the tech giants would be required to comply with \u201cthe laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran\u201d. What that would mean remains unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Observers have long suggested that Iran would start \u201claunching provocations in the underwater domain\u201d, noted Christian Bueger, a professor of International Relations at the University of Copenhagen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt least seven cables lie beneath the waters of the strait,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/18\/iran-threat-internet-cables-strait-hormuz\" target=\"_blank\">according to The Guardian<\/a>. Other cables exist but are not yet operational, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fiberatlantic.com\/org\/pN4XAGz07h5zGM43lI5H\" target=\"_blank\">maps of global internet infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Iran says it has the right to impose licensing fees on the Strait because it contains \u201cnot a centimetre of water that is part of the high seas\u201d, according to state-run Fars News Agency. The narrowest part of the Strait is 21 nautical miles long, or about 33 kilometres.<\/p>\n<div class=\"em-video-wrapper m-em-video\" data-media-video-wbmz548828-f24-en-20260518 data-wrapper-video-player data-show-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ548828-F24-EN-20260518\" data-youtube-script>\n<div class=\"m-em-video__video\">\n<div class=\"o-em-consent \">\n<div class=\"o-em-consent__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-consent__content__text\">To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.<\/p>\n<p>        <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"accept\"><br \/>\n            Accept<\/p>\n<p>        <\/button><br \/>\n        <button class=\"a-link\" data-action=\"manage\">Manage my choices<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock\" data-adblock-content>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-adblock__content__text\">One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.<\/p>\n<p>            <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"reload\">Try again<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ548828-F24-EN-20260518\">\n<div class=\"m-em-video\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/e854b602-52c4-11f1-a0fd-005056bfb2b6\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/EN-20260518-161207-161353-CS.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/e854b602-52c4-11f1-a0fd-005056bfb2b6\/w:388\/p:16x9\/EN-20260518-161207-161353-CS.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/e854b602-52c4-11f1-a0fd-005056bfb2b6\/w:720\/p:16x9\/EN-20260518-161207-161353-CS.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/e854b602-52c4-11f1-a0fd-005056bfb2b6\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/EN-20260518-161207-161353-CS.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 639px) calc(100vw - 32px), (max-width: 1076px) calc(100vw - 44px), 850px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                                <span>\u00a9 France 24<\/span>            <\/figcaption><div class=\"m-item-image__overlay-wrapper\">\n                <button class=\"m-main-media-btn\" aria-label=\"Play the video\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"m-main-media-btn__picto\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-circle-loader\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><br \/>\n<time class=\"a-media-time\">01:46<\/time>                <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Iran is correct that the national territorial boundaries extend up to 12 nautical miles from the shores of Iran and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/oman\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Oman<\/a>, the countries that flank the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore, no part of it falls outside the maritime sovereignty of these two states.<\/p>\n<p>Yet of all the cables in the Strait, \u201conly two of them are within Iranian territorial waters \u2013 Falcon and Gulf Bridge International\u201d, said Jonas Franken, an expert on digital infrastructure and maritime security from the Technical University of Darmstadt.<\/p>\n<h2>A grey zone in international law<\/h2>\n<p>On the other hand, Iran seems to be eager to exploit certain loopholes in international law that are not addressed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ambiguity prevails over \u201cwhether there is any special situation in the Strait\u201d,\u00a0said Bueger, adding that there is a legal grey zone regarding the \u201cduties and obligations states have in terms of safeguarding cables passing through their exclusive economic zones&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>This grey zone isn\u2019t necessarily advantageous for Tehran. The legal basis for Iran\u2019s plan is &#8220;very weak&#8221; under international law, according to Basil Germond, professor of international security at Lancaster University. &#8220;All states retain freedom to lay and maintain cables, so legally Teheran cannot arbitrarily restrict maintenance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260418-hormuz-domino-effect-how-the-middle-east-crisis-affects-food-flights-and-global-supply-chains\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">Hormuz domino effect: How the Middle East crisis affects food, flights and global supply chains<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But international law has so far not prevented Iran from disrupting commercial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/shipping\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">shipping<\/a>, and isn\u2019t likely to derail any plan the regime might have when it comes to imposing licensing fees on undersea cables.<\/p>\n<p>What counts is the extent to which disrupting data flow or damaging cables is feasible, Germond said.<\/p>\n<p>Iran could coerce the tech giants into paying the toll by \u201cinterfering with data traffic, threatening to disrupt data flow, damaging cables, or simply preventing maintenance\u201d, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTeheran can try to be credible through coercion in the same way it does with commercial shipping attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Prior incidents in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/europe\/20250221-sweden-launches-probe-after-yet-another-baltic-sea-cable-is-damaged\" target=\"_self\">Baltic Sea<\/a> have proven that submarine cables are vulnerable to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20250218-fishing-trawlers-not-sabotage-behind-most-undersea-cable-damage-un\" target=\"_self\">accidents<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/europe\/20241119-germany-believes-telecom-cables-cut-in-baltic-sea-was-act-of-sabotage\" target=\"_self\">sabotage<\/a>, and Iran could choose this route if firms fail to pay.<\/p>\n<p>But US companies might not even have the option because of <a href=\"https:\/\/ofac.treasury.gov\/sanctions-programs-and-country-information\/iran-sanctions\" target=\"_blank\">US sanctions on Iran<\/a> prohibiting most economic transactions with the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n<h2>Risky operations<\/h2>\n<p>Sabotaging an undersea cable in the Strait of Hormuz could also be more challenging than in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/baltic-sea\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Baltic Sea<\/a>, Franken said, as the\u00a0seabed in the Strait &#8220;is sandy and muddy, which is perfect for burying cables\u201d. No official statistics exist on the security measures taken by operators for each cable but he said it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if these critical infrastructure elements were buried several metres below the seabed in this geopolitically volatile region.<\/p>\n<p>Damaging these subsea cables would demand time and organisation. The vessels in charge of this task would be \u201ceasy to spot and could be targeted by the US\u201d, Franken said.<\/p>\n<p>Once source quoted by The Guardian called this type of operation a \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/18\/iran-threat-internet-cables-strait-hormuz\" target=\"_blank\">suicide mission<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"em-video-wrapper m-em-video\" data-media-video-wbmz549432-f24-en-20260520 data-wrapper-video-player data-show-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ549432-F24-EN-20260520\" data-youtube-script>\n<div class=\"m-em-video__title\">Iran warns of war \u2018beyond the region\u2019 if US resumes attacks<\/div>\n<div class=\"m-em-video__video\">\n<div class=\"o-em-consent \">\n<div class=\"o-em-consent__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-consent__content__text\">To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.<\/p>\n<p>        <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"accept\"><br \/>\n            Accept<\/p>\n<p>        <\/button><br \/>\n        <button class=\"a-link\" data-action=\"manage\">Manage my choices<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock\" data-adblock-content>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-adblock__content__text\">One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.<\/p>\n<p>            <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"reload\">Try again<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ549432-F24-EN-20260520\">\n<div class=\"m-em-video\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/b9b464f6-5435-11f1-bc72-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/EN-20260520-103353-103531-CS.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/b9b464f6-5435-11f1-bc72-005056a97e36\/w:388\/p:16x9\/EN-20260520-103353-103531-CS.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/b9b464f6-5435-11f1-bc72-005056a97e36\/w:720\/p:16x9\/EN-20260520-103353-103531-CS.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/b9b464f6-5435-11f1-bc72-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/EN-20260520-103353-103531-CS.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 639px) calc(100vw - 32px), (max-width: 1076px) calc(100vw - 44px), 850px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"Iran warns of war \u2018beyond the region\u2019 if US resumes attacks\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                                <span>\u00a9 France 24<\/span>            <\/figcaption><div class=\"m-item-image__overlay-wrapper\">\n                <button class=\"m-main-media-btn\" aria-label=\"Iran warns of war \u2018beyond the region\u2019 if US resumes attacks: Play the video\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"m-main-media-btn__picto\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-circle-loader\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><br \/>\n<time class=\"a-media-time\">01:38<\/time>                <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This may all make the Iranian regime think twice. Notably, the undersea cables primarily provide internet access to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/saudi-arabia\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Saudi Arabia<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/united-arab-emirates\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">United Arab Emirates<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/qatar\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Qatar<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/europe\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Europe<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/usa\/\" target=\"_self\">US<\/a> are unlikely to be affected.<\/p>\n<p>The main risk would be further destabilisation of a region already in the crosshairs. \u201cThe more cables that would be cut, the more the impact would be felt in terms of slower connection and reduced bandwidth,\u201d Bueger said.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s plan to extend the war into the domain of undersea cables proves that Tehran still has some cards left to play as it wages the asymmetric warfare that Bueger says has \u201cproven to be the only \u2013 but efficient \u2013 way to resist the US\u201d juggernaut.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article has been translated from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/fr\/moyen-orient\/20260519-detroit-ormuz-iran-peut-il-imposer-un-droit-de-passage-pour-cables-internet-geans-tech\" target=\"_self\">original in French<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"o-sidebar__aside\">\n<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--box o-ad-container--with-shimmer\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><br \/>\n                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__tags t-content__below-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"m-section-title m-section-title--small\">Keywords for this article<\/div>\n<ul class=\"m-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/iran\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Iran\">    Iran<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/internet\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Internet\">    Internet<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Strait of Hormuz\">    Strait of Hormuz<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/iran-conflict\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Iran war\">    Iran war<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/features\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Features\">    Features<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/tech-1\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Tech\">    Tech<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/amazon-inc\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Amazon Inc\">    Amazon Inc<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/meta\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Meta\">    Meta<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/microsoft\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Microsoft\">    Microsoft<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertising Digital bottleneck: How Iran wants to leverage internet access for the war Analysis Middle&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}