Escalation follows recent Iranian cyberattacks on Amazon Web Services data centres in the Middle East
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Image: Shutterstock via Dennis
The US-Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February have unleashed a wave of retaliatory strikes across the region. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has responded by threatening a series of cyberattacks against American tech giants operating in the Middle East.
A Telegram message attributed to the IRGC named 18 companies as “legitimate targets”, including industrial heavyweights such as Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft and Google. The list also included Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Dell, Palantir, JP Morgan, Tesla, GE, Spire Solutions, Boeing and the UAE-based AI company G42.
The IRGC warned employees of these companies to leave their workplaces at 8pm Tehran time (6.30pm CET) on 1 April to ensure their safety. The message stated that for every assassination attempt on Iran, one American company would face destruction.
This threat followed recent Iranian attacks targeting Amazon Web Services data centres in the Middle East. These led to service disruptions for numerous applications and digital platforms in the United Arab Emirates.
In response to the IRGC’s threats, Intel issued a statement to CNBC stressing that the safety of its employees is paramount. The company also underlined its ongoing efforts to protect them and its facilities. Other companies named in the Telegram message were contacted for comment, with Microsoft, Google and JP Morgan declining to issue statements.
The conflict between the United States and Iran has escalated significantly. Since 28 February, Iran has launched more than 3,000 drones and missiles at targets in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.
President Donald Trump recently announced that he expects US forces to withdraw from Iran within “two or three weeks”.
The conflict has led to a tragic loss of life. According to HRANA, a human rights organisation, more than 3,400 Iranian civilians and military personnel have been killed. US Central Command reports the deaths of 13 American service members.
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