Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued a direct strike threat to a slew of U.S. tech companies, including GPU giant Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Cisco, and Tesla, just days after the regime identified the companies as 'legitimate targets.' As reported by CBS News, the IRGC issued an updated and more direct threat via Telegram on Tuesday.
Per the report, the group claimed that it would begin targeting some 18 U.S. and finance companies, specifically their Middle Eastern presences. As noted, the IRGC has already threatened these companies; however, Tuesday's statement represents a marked escalation in rhetorical threat.
The IRGC reportedly stated that the U.S. has "ignored our repeated warnings about the need to stop terrorist operations, and today, a number of Iranian citizens were martyred in your and your Israeli allies' terrorist attacks; Since the main element in designing and tracking terror targets are American ICT and AI companies, in response to this terrorist operation, from now on the main institutions effective in terrorist operations will be our legitimate targets."
Strikingly, the IRGC warned employees of the named institutions, which also include J.P. Morgan, to "leave their workplaces immediately to save their lives." Residents around these terrorist companies in all countries in the region should also leave their places within a radius of one kilometer and go to a safe place," Iran's armed forces stated. WION further reports the statement, which said: "These companies should expect destruction of their facilities in response to each act of terror in Iran." According to that outlet, strikes could begin as soon as 8 pm Tehran time on April 1.
As noted in our previous coverage, companies like Nvidia and Intel maintain significant Middle Eastern presences. 13% of Nvidia's global workforce resides in Israel, where the company has its second-largest R&D center beyond U.S. shores. Similarly, Intel employs some 9,355 people in Israel.
Beyond these specific threats of military force against U.S. tech institutions, the Iran conflict continues to have widespread ramifications in the tech industry. AWS data centers in Bahrain and the UAE have been struck by drones, and significant stress on the global Helium supply could have devastating consequences for chipmaking.
