Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has threatened to attack some US technology companies operating in the Middle East. Nvidia, apple, microsoft and google.
The Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday that 18 tech companies would be considered “legitimate targets” in retaliation for the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran.
The attacks on these companies will begin on Wednesday, April 1, at 8:00 p.m. Tehran time (12:30 p.m. EDT), the Revolutionary Guards said in a Telegram post translated by Google, warning employees of these companies to leave their workplaces immediately to save their lives.
“From now on, every assassination will destroy an American company,” they said on a Telegram channel affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards.
Introducing a list of companies Cisco, HP, intel, oracle, IBM, Dell, PalantirJP Morgan, teslaGE, Spire Solutions, boeing and G42, an AI company based in the United Arab Emirates.
This comes after Iran attacked AWS data centers in the Middle East earlier this month, disrupting many apps and digital services in the United Arab Emirates.
In recent years, U.S. tech companies have poured resources into developing AI infrastructure, particularly in the Middle East, which provides access to cheap energy and land.
“The safety and health of our team is our top priority,” an Inter spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. “We are taking steps to protect and support our employees and facilities in the Middle East and are actively monitoring the situation.”
All companies mentioned in the Telegram post have been contacted for comment. Microsoft, Google and JPMorgan declined to comment.
The US and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 triggered retaliatory attacks from Iran across the region.
More than 3,000 drones and missiles have been launched against the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait since the conflict began, according to data compiled by the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he expected U.S. troops to withdraw from Iran within “two to three weeks.” The White House announced that President Trump will address the nation on the Iran war on Wednesday night.
According to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), more than 3,400 Iranian civilians and military personnel have been killed during the conflict. According to U.S. Central Command, 13 U.S. service members were killed.
—CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt and Emma Graham contributed to this report.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct the Eastern time zone conversion when the IRGC announced that attacks on U.S. companies would begin.
