Alwaght- As the Israeli-American war against Iran turns attritional, it elevates to new heights. In this connection, Iran's IRGC in a statement threatened to strike the American tech companies in West Asia in response to further aggression. According to the statement, at least 18 companies are on the hit list.
Why attacks on tech giants?
In an official statement, Iran has declared that American technology companies are instrumental tools in “monitoring and planning terrorist operations.” Consequently, Iran asserts these companies will now be considered legitimate targets for retaliatory attacks.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) statement further held that the US government and these tech firms have repeatedly ignored Tehran’s warnings regarding the necessity of halting operations that target senior Iranian officials. The IRGC claims these companies are central to designing and tracking assassination targets within Iran.
What companies?
The Iranian hit list includes: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, Intel, IBM, Tesla, Boeing, Cisco, Oracle, HP, and Amazon.
Attacks on tech giants
Reports indicate that Iran is targeting 18 American companies in the technology and industrial sectors for potential military reprisals. Employees and residents around these companies in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and occupied Palestine have been urgently advised to leave their workplaces and move to safe locations.
Apple, which has a significant office in Dubai responsible for marketing and launching new products across Europe, has suspended its operations in the region and Europe due to the ongoing conflict with Iran.
In a related development, Amazon earlier reported that two of its data centers in the UAE were directly targeted by drone strikes earlier in March, with another center in Bahrain suffering damage from an attack nearby.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Oracle was hit in response to the assassination of former Iranian FM Kamal Khazari and his wife. The IRGC stated that, as previously warned, they would target technology companies involved in intelligence and espionage that play key roles in the enemy's terrorist operations. Following this statement, the cloud infrastructure of Amazon and Oracle in the UAE was struck. The IRGC warned that if assassinations continue, other companies should prepare for decisive responses.
Earlier, the IRGC had reported targeting an Amazon cloud computing center in Bahrain, but officials from the UAE and Oracle have yet to release any information regarding these incidents.
Response to aggressors
Iran's attacks on American tech companies came after Israelis and Americans said they will strike Iran's infrastructure.
Even on Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that attacks were launched at Iranian infrastructure. He claimed that Israel destroyed 70 percent of Iran's steel production capacity, majorly hitting its capability to make arms.
In a video message, Netanyahu said: "In association with American friends, we continue to suppress the terrorist regime in Iran. We strike the commanders and bomb the bridges and infrastructures."
So, Iranian attacks on American tech companies are a response to attacks on its infrastructure and so are considered a legitimate reaction.
