Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has issued threats against several major U.S. tech companies operating in the Middle East, including Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Google. The group labeled 18 firms as “legitimate targets” in retaliation for recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. According to a Guard-affiliated Telegram post, attacks would begin at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, Tehran time, and employees were urged to leave workplaces immediately for safety.
Other companies on the list include Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Dell, Palantir, JPMorgan, Tesla, GE, Boeing, Spire Solutions, and UAE-based AI company G42. Intel confirmed it is actively safeguarding employees and facilities in the region.
Experts say the threats mark a shift in conflict tactics, with tech assets now considered integral to the war. James Henderson, CEO of risk management firm Healix, noted that future crises may increasingly target data centers and cloud infrastructure, as Iran demonstrated in early March by striking AWS facilities in the Middle East, causing outages for digital services in the UAE.
U.S. tech companies have been building more AI infrastructure in the region because energy and land are cheaper there. The conflict started with U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28 and has already seen over 3,000 drones and missiles used across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait. President Donald Trump mentioned that U.S. forces might leave Iran in a few weeks, and he plans to give a national update soon.
This situation highlights the rising cyber and physical dangers technology companies face as regional tensions increase.
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