- Iran is urging tech employees in the Middle East to leave their workplaces.
- Tesla, Meta, Google, Intel, Oracle, Apple, Dell, and others could be targeted.
- Iran says its strikes will be retribution for the deaths of its military leaders.
More than a dozen American technology companies are under threat by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as the conflict in the Middle East continues to heat up. Tesla is among the companies that could be targeted.
The IRGC has threatened to begin strikes on companies it claims are being used to assist the US with its attacks, stating they’re providing artificial intelligence, communications technology, and intelligence operations. It said that for every one of its military leaders who have been killed in the war, “a U.S. company will be destroyed.”
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In addition to Tesla being targeted, other giants include Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, Dell, IBM, Nvidia, Palantir, General Electric, JPMorgan Chase, Boeing, and Spire Solutions have all been named as “legitimate targets.”
It’s urging employees at these companies’ facilities in the Middle East to immediately leave their workplaces, and has warned civilians within a 1 km radius of them to move to safety, The Hill reports.
A Serious Warning
“Since the main element in designing and tracking terrorist targets are American and ICT [Information and Communications Technology] and AI companies…from now one, [these] main institutions will be our legitimate targets,” the IRGC said. “Companies that actively participate in terrorist designs will face reciprocal action for every targeted assassination.”
While Tesla is headquartered in the United States, it has been growing its presence across the Middle East. For example, it has facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah in the UAE, and operates Supercharging stations across the country. It also has a presence in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all within striking distance of Iran.
If the nation follows through with its threats to target these major American companies, not only would it put civilian lives in danger, but it would also threaten to further intensify the conflict and could trigger further retaliatory strikes from the United States.
