Main American technology companies have been mentioned as potential targets as the war between Iran, Israel and the United States begins to spread to the digital infrastructure that powers contemporary economies.
Iranian state-linked media this week published a list of offices and infrastructure run by US companies linked to Israel whose technology was used for military applications. According to Al Jazeera, 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 the UAE. Neither has released public statements about this development.
The list was published by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with a warning that the scope of the conflict may extend beyond customary military objectives.
“As the scope of the regional war expands to include an infrastructure war, the scope of Iran’s legitimate goals expands,” the Tasnim news agency reported.
Last week, an Iranian drone attacked damaged Amazon Web Services data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, disrupting services and exposing a vulnerability in the region’s physical technology infrastructure.
The warning came after Iranian reports about the Israeli strike on a bank building in Tehran affiliated with Bank Sepah. Iranian officials described it as an attack on economic infrastructure.
Iranian state media said the incident justified expanding potential targets to include U.S. and Israeli economic and banking interests across the region.
“With this illegal 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,” the spokesman said. Belongs to the IRGC Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya. He warned civilians to stay a kilometer away from banks.
Technology in war
All of the technology companies mentioned by Iran have been accused of providing their technology for apply by the Israeli military to varying degrees, although most of them have denied these claims. Palantir openly agreed to a strategic partnership with Israel to “support the country’s war effort,” including providing “advanced technology to support war-related missions,” Palantir Executive Vice President Josh Harris he told Bloomberg.
Beyond potential military applications, many of the companies mentioned operate cloud platforms, artificial intelligence tools and data systems used by huge organizations in the region.
As warfare becomes increasingly reliant on digital systems, from satellite data to artificial intelligence-based intelligence analysis, the infrastructure behind these systems becomes more strategic.
But the cloud is not the only digital system drawn into the conflict. Electronic warfare targeting GPS signals has intensified across the region, disrupting navigation systems used in planes, ships and everyday smartphone apps.
Technology companies operating in the region have already started adapting their operations. According to media reports, several US companies with offices on the other side of the Persian Gulf have asked employees to work remotely or limit travel as the conflict escalates. Some companies have also activated contingency plans amid infrastructure disruptions related to drone strikes and airspace closures.