Iranian state-linked media this week published a list of offices and infrastructure run by US companies with Israeli links whose technology has been used for military applications. According to Al Jazeera, the companies include Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle.
Many of these companies operate regional offices, cloud infrastructure, or data-center operations across the Gulf, including the UAE. No one has issued a public statement on this development.
The list was published by the semi-official, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked Tasnim news agency with a warning that the scope of the conflict could expand beyond traditional military targets.
“As the scope of the regional war expands to an infrastructure war, the scope of Iran’s legitimate targets also expands,” the Tasnim news agency reported.
Last week, Iranian drone attacks damaged Amazon Web Services data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, disrupting services and highlighting the vulnerability of physical technical infrastructure in the region.
The warning follows Iranian reports of an Israeli attack on a bank building belonging to Bank Sepah in Tehran. Iranian officials have called it an attack on economic infrastructure.
Iranian state media said the incident justified expanding potential targets to include US and Israeli economic and banking interests throughout the region.
A spokesman for the IRGC-owned Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters said, “With this illegitimate and unusual action, the enemy is forcing us to target economic centers and banks linked to the US and the Zionist regime in the region.” He warned citizens to stay one kilometer away from banks.
technology in war
All technology companies listed by Iran have, to varying degrees, been accused of supplying their technology for use by the Israeli military, although most have denied these claims. Palantir openly agreed to a strategic partnership with Israel to “help the country’s war efforts,” including supplying “advanced technology in support of war-related missions,” Josh Harris, Palantir’s executive vice president, told Bloomberg.
In addition to potential military applications, many of the named companies operate cloud platforms, artificial intelligence tools and data systems used by large organizations in the region.
As warfare becomes increasingly dependent on digital systems from satellite data to AI-powered intelligence analysis, the infrastructure behind those systems has assumed greater strategic importance.
But the cloud is not the only digital system being drawn into this conflict. Across the region, there has been an increase in electronic warfare targeting GPS signals, disrupting navigation systems used by aircraft, ships and everyday smartphone apps.
Technology companies operating in the region have already begun to adjust their operations. According to media reports, several US companies with offices across the Gulf have asked employees to work remotely or limit travel as the conflict escalates. Some companies have also activated contingency plans following infrastructure disruptions related to drone strikes and airspace closures.
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