Iran Warns US Tech Firms Could Become Targets as War Expands

A major American technology companies have been named as potential targets as the war between Iran, Israel and the United States begins to spread to the digital infrastructure that powers modern economies.

Iranian state-linked media this week published a list of offices and infrastructure run by U.S. companies with ties to Israel whose technology has been used for military purposes. According to Al Jazeera, these companies include Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle.

Many of these companies operate regional offices, cloud infrastructure or data centers across the Gulf, including in the United Arab Emirates. None have issued public statements on this development.

The list was published by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with a warning that the scope of the conflict could expand beyond traditional military targets.

“As the scope of the regional war expands to the infrastructure war, the scope of Iran’s legitimate targets expands,” Tasnim news agency reported.

Last week, Iranian drone strikes damaged Amazon Web Services data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, disrupting services and exposing the vulnerability of the region’s physical technology infrastructure.

The warning follows Iranian reports of an Israeli strike on a banking building in Tehran linked to the Sepah bank. Iranian officials described it as an attack on economic infrastructure.

Iranian state media said the incident warranted broadening potential targets to include U.S. and Israeli economic and banking interests in the region.

“With this illegitimate and unusual action, the enemy is forcing our hand to target economic centers and banks linked to the United States and the Zionist regime in the region,” said a spokesperson for the IRGC-owned Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters. He warned civilians to stay one kilometer away from banks.

Technology in War

Iran’s listed tech companies have all been accused of supplying their technology to the Israeli military to varying degrees, although most have refuted the claims. Palantir has openly agreed to a strategic partnership with Israel to “help the country’s war effort,” including providing “cutting-edge technology to support war-related missions,” Palantir executive vice president Josh Harris told Bloomberg.

Outside of potential military applications, many of the companies cited operate cloud platforms, artificial intelligence tools and data systems used by major organizations in the region.

As warfare increasingly relies on digital systems, from satellite data to AI-based intelligence analysis, the infrastructure behind these systems takes on increased strategic importance.

But the cloud is not the only digital system involved in the conflict. Across the region, electronic warfare targeting GPS signals has intensified, disrupting navigation systems used by planes, ships and everyday smartphone applications.

Tech companies operating in the region have already started adjusting their operations. Several US companies with offices in the Gulf asked their employees to work remotely or limit their travel as the conflict intensified, according to media reports. Some companies have also activated contingency plans following infrastructure disruptions related to drone strikes and airspace closures.