Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a sweeping threat against 18 major American corporations, declaring their regional operations as 'legitimate targets' starting April 1,a significant escalation in the ongoing US-Iran conflict that now directly puts big tech firms in the crosshairs.
IRGC names 18 major US tech companies, issues evacuation warning
In a statement published through its official outlet Sepah News, the IRGC declared that it would strike 'espionage entities' associated with the 'warmongering government of the United States,' citing their alleged role in assisting US-Israeli military operations. The 18 companies listed include Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, and Boeing. The full list also names Dell Technologies, HP, Cisco, Oracle, Meta Platforms, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Palantir, Nvidia, Spire Solutions, and G42.
The directive is set to take effect from 8pm Tehran time (10pm IST) on April 1. "These companies should expect the destruction of their respective units in exchange for each terror act in Iran, starting from 8pm Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1st," the IRGC said in its statement.
The IRGC explicitly advised employees of the named companies to evacuate their workplaces to 'preserve their lives' and urged civilians residing within a one-kilometre radius of these corporate facilities to move to safer areas.
AI companies on the line
The IRGC cited the role of American ICT and AI companies in 'designing and tracking assassination targets,' framing the threatened strikes as retaliation for targeted killings of Iranian leaders. Iran's Press TV reported that the guard corps alleged these firms had assisted in 'US-Israeli terror operations' since the war against the country was launched on February 28.
Iran had previously targeted US companies earlier in the conflict, hitting two Amazon Web Services data centres in the UAE and one in Bahrain during the first week of the war, with the US military reportedly using AWS services that experienced outages and water damage.
White House reacts to the threats
Later on Tuesday, the US State Department said it was tracking reports of threats against locations where American citizens gather in Saudi Arabia, including hotels, US businesses, and educational institutions, and advised US citizens in the country to shelter in place until further notice.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran that the 'coming days will be decisive' and that the conflict 'will only end on Trump's terms,' adding that if Iran is 'not willing' to make a deal, 'the United States Department of Defense will continue with even greater intensity.'
The IRGC threat marks a major escalation as previous Iranian retaliation had focused primarily on military installations, maritime chokepoints, energy terminals and regional missile-defence infrastructure. The new warning redefines civilian technology corporations as operational extensions of military intelligence and targeting systems.
Tesla's inclusion on the list was notable given that the company holds no defence contracts. Its Gulf presence is entirely commercial - electric vehicles, Superchargers, and energy products - though CEO Elon Musk's close ties to President Trump are seen as a factor.
