America’s top technology companies have been mentioned as possible targets like war between Iran, Israel and the United States it is beginning to spill over into the digital infrastructure that powers the modern economy.
Iranian government-linked media this week published a list of offices and infrastructure run by US companies with ties to Israel whose technology has been used for military applications. According to Al Jazeera companies is included Google, Microsoft, PalantirIBM, Nvidia, and Oracle.
Many of these companies operate regional offices, cloud infrastructure, or data center operations across the Gulf, including the United Arab Emirates. No one has made public statements about this development.
The list was published by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the Tasnim-affiliated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with a warning that the scope of the conflict could expand beyond traditional military targets.
“As the scope of regional wars expands to infrastructure wars, the scope of Iran’s legitimate targets expands,” Tasnim News Agency reported.
Last week, Iranian drones attacked destroyed Amazon Web Services data centers in the UAE and Bahrain, disrupting services and exposing the vulnerability of the technical infrastructure in the region.
The warning followed Iranian reports about the Israeli strike at a bank building in Tehran connected to Bank Sepah. Iranian officials have described it as an attack on economic infrastructure.
Iranian state media said the incident justified expanding targets that could include US and Israeli economic and banking interests throughout the region.
“With this illegal and unusual act, the enemy is forcing our hand to target economic centers and banks with ties to the United States and the Zionist regime in the region,” said a spokesman for the AFP news agency. Owned by the IRGC Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya. He warned citizens to stay one kilometer away from the bank.
Technology in War
Iranian-listed technology companies have all been accused of providing their technology for use by the Israeli military to varying degrees, although most have denied these allegations. 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 said. he told Bloomberg.
Outside of potential military applications, many of the companies mentioned operate cloud platforms, artificial intelligence tools and data systems used by large organizations in the region.
As warfare becomes increasingly dependent on digital systems, from satellite data for AI-powered intelligent analyticsthe infrastructure behind those systems is of more strategic importance.
But the cloud isn’t the only digital platform being dragged into the fray. Across the region, electronic warfare is taking aim GPS signals has increased, disrupting the navigation systems used by airplanes, ships and everyday smartphone applications.
Technology companies those working in the area have already started to adjust their activities. Several US companies with offices across the Gulf have asked employees to work remotely or reduce travel as the crisis escalates, according to media reports. Some companies have also developed contingency plans following infrastructure disruptions linked to drone attacks and airspace closures.
