Iran Warns of Targeting U.S. Tech Firms Amid Escalating Conflict

(SeaPRwire) –   The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, warned on Tuesday that if the U.S. persists in attacking and eliminating Iranian leaders, more than a dozen prominent American technology companies may face retaliatory strikes.

According to a statement released by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, which has ties to the IRGC, the guard intends to target 18 technology companies—including Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft—starting Wednesday at 8 p.m. Tehran time (12:30 p.m. E.T.). This action is described as retaliation “for every assassination in Iran.”

These corporations were cited for their purported role in facilitating the assassination of numerous Iranian officials following the commencement of war by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28. Among those killed are Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour, and senior security official Ali Larijani. U.S. President Donald Trump has implied that regime change is among his objectives in Iran, while Israel has vowed to target any future Iranian leadership, including Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.

“You disregarded our constant warnings to cease terrorist operations, and today, many Iranian citizens were martyred in terrorist attacks by you and your Israeli allies,” the IRGC stated. “Since American ICT and AI firms are the primary elements in designing and tracking terror targets, the key institutions enabling these terrorist operations will become our legitimate targets in response. Companies actively involved in terrorist plots will be targeted in retaliation for any terrorist attack.”

The IRGC further advised that employees of these organizations should vacate their workplaces immediately. Additionally, residents “in all countries in the region” were urged to evacuate within a one-kilometer radius of these institutions. This warning implies that the IRGC’s intended targets likely encompass the infrastructure of these technology companies throughout the Middle East, rather than within the U.S. itself.

The list of companies includes Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Dell, Palantir, Nvidia, JP Morgan, Tesla, GE, and Boeing. Two firms based in the United Arab Emirates were also identified: G42, an AI company in Abu Dhabi, and Spire Solutions, a cybersecurity firm in Dubai.

TIME has contacted the companies mentioned on the list to request their comments.

While every listed company maintains business operations or ties to Israel, most have refuted claims that their technology is utilized for military purposes by Israel. However, several firms—including Palantir, Microsoft, Google, IBM, and G42—have verified connections to the Israeli military or defense contractors. For instance, in 2024, Josh Harris, Executive Vice President of Palantir, informed Bloomberg that the company had entered a strategic partnership with the Israeli Defense Ministry to supply “advanced technology in support of war-related missions.”

This threat from the IRGC arrives as President Trump conveys conflicting signals regarding the conflict’s trajectory. Amidst rising oil and gas prices, the U.S. President indicated he might conclude the widely unpopular war with Iran within two to three weeks. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked that the war is nearing its “finish line.” Trump has frequently claimed to be engaging in discussions with Iranian leaders to end the hostilities. He also reportedly suggested that a resolution is possible even if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route that Iran has kept blocked since the war’s onset.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reportedly stated that Iran possesses the “necessary will” to bring the war to an end, provided there are assurances that the U.S. and Israel will refrain from future attacks. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that he is in communication with U.S. officials, but emphasized, “this does not mean that we are in negotiations.” He added that Iran has not replied to the 15-point cease-fire proposal submitted by the U.S.

“We have no confidence that negotiations with the U.S. will produce any outcome. The level of trust is zero,” Araghchi declared. “We perceive no honesty.”

Conversely, the U.S. and Israel have signaled over the past week their intention to intensify attacks on Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Tuesday that the U.S. would persist in “negotiating with bombs” while attempting to secure a deal. Although an Iranian strike on U.S. firms would signify an escalation, the conflict has already expanded beyond military targets, with all sides seemingly striking civilian sites and business infrastructure.

According to Iranian authorities and humanitarian groups, U.S. and Israeli assaults have resulted in the deaths of nearly 2,000 individuals in Iran, including 240 women and 212 children. Iranian authorities reported that an eight-month-old infant was the youngest casualty last month. Investigations by the New York Times and other media revealed that U.S. airstrikes on Feb. 28 struck a girls’ primary school in Minab and a sports hall in Lamerd city—claims the U.S. has denied. President Trump has also threatened to bomb Iran’s power plants, seize the key oil terminal on Kharg Island, and target water desalination plants, actions that would violate the Geneva Conventions as war crimes.

Israel has conducted airstrikes on oil depots in Tehran, enveloping the city in toxic black smoke, and has attacked Iran’s South Pars gas field. Iranian authorities further allege that U.S. and Israeli forces have bombed civilian and commercial infrastructure throughout Iran, including a pharmaceutical plant in Tehran, steel manufacturing facilities in Isfahan, and a passenger pier in Bandar Abbas.

Simultaneously, Iran has launched threats and attacks against commercial and industrial infrastructure across the region, causing dozens of fatalities. On Tuesday, the Iranian military announced it had targeted communications, telecommunications, and industrial sites in Israel via retaliatory drone strikes. These targets included facilities for the industrial conglomerate Siemens near Ben Gurion International Airport and the communications firm AT&T in Haifa. Israel has not yet confirmed if these locations sustained damage. On Wednesday, Kuwait reported that an Iranian drone strike ignited a “massive” fire at fuel depots of Kuwait International Airport, while Bahrain reported a fire at an unspecified company facility caused by a similar attack.

Certain American corporations have already directed staff at their Gulf country offices to work remotely or restrict travel. On March 3, Iranian drone strikes caused power outages at Amazon Web Services cloud data centers in the U.A.E. and Bahrain.

Additionally, Iranian state media has identified tech billionaire Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, Starlink—which operates in multiple Middle Eastern nations—as a “legitimate” target for Iran.

The previous month, Iran declared its intention to strike American and Israeli economic and political interests in the region, responding to an alleged Israeli attack on a bank building in Tehran and other assaults. Reports from Iranian state-linked media suggest that the range of Iran’s “legitimate targets” could extend to include offices and infrastructure for cloud services provided by American companies connected to Israel, such as Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia, and Oracle.