New Delhi: Iran has indicated that offices and infrastructure associated with key US technology firms may now become targets of attack as the situation in the Middle East keeps intensifying. It has been reported that the target of the Iranian authorities has not only been limited to the military assets but also to the economic and technological infrastructure of the United States and Israel.
Reports indicate that Iranian media houses that are based on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have published a list of firms whose local offices might be targeted in new campaigns. The relocation is indicative of an expanding confrontation where the strategic technology, finance, and infrastructure are increasingly being considered a battle zone.
Iranian media lists US tech firms as potential targets
A report by Al Jazeera referred to the Tasnim News Agency based in Iran, which is affiliated with the IRGC, publishing information on the offices and infrastructures of several large US firms. Among the world’s technologies, there are Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle.
According to the report, these companies are linked technologically, which can be used to aid Israeli military strength. Tasnim termed such places as new targets, saying that as the conflict spreads out to what it termed an infrastructure war, the number of legitimate targets Iran has may also increase.
Tech offices across Israel and Gulf region
Some of the companies in question have their offices in Israel and Gulf countries. Google has several operations in Israel, and it also has its Middle East headquarters in Dubai. Microsoft also has its offices in Israel and a large regional office in Abu Dhabi.
According to analysts, these offices are commercial and research centres mostly. A report by the Iranians, however, indicates that such infrastructure may come under scrutiny by the use of technology platforms in defence or intelligence purposes in the conflict.
Banks and economic centres also under threat
Iran has also threatened that those financial institutions which are affiliated with the US or Israel may be targeted. The spokesperson at Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, which is reported by the United Nations to be owned by the IRGC, indicated that economic centres and banks attached to the US and Israel were bound to be attacked. The Iranian media have also reported that an earlier US and Israeli attack had struck a bank in Tehran with casualties among the employees.
The threats follow Iranian retaliatory attacks on organised attacks by the United States and Israel. Since that time, Tehran has been attacking US-related properties in the Middle East and has also made a push of pressure on Gulf countries allied to Washington. Simultaneously, Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which has heightened the energy security issue internationally. The oil routes are the main channels of transporting oil products, and any lengthy derailment would have serious consequences on the major energy-receiving economies like China and India.