Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a sweeping ultimatum targeting 18 major American technology and industrial companies, declaring that their regional offices and facilities will be considered “legitimate targets” starting at 8:00 p.m. Tehran time on April 1.

In a statement published Tuesday on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC warned employees of the named companies to “immediately leave their workplaces to protect their lives” and urged civilians living within a one-kilometer radius of any company facilities across the Middle East to evacuate to safer locations.

The IRGC framed the threat as a direct response to what it described as the companies’ complicity in U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran. The military body alleged that these firms’ artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technology (ICT) services have served as “the main elements in designing terror operations and tracing assassination targets by the US and Israel inside Iran”.

“You ignored our repeated warnings about the need to stop terrorist operations,” the IRGC statement read. “From now on, the main institutions effective in terrorist operations will be our legitimate targets”.

The 18 Companies Named

The IRGC’s blacklist features some of the world’s most prominent technology and industrial leaders. The full list includes Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Dell, Palantir, Nvidia, J.P. Morgan, Tesla, General Electric, Spire Solution, G42, and Boeing.

According to Iranian state media Press TV, the IRGC has categorised these organisations as “espionage entities associated with the warmongering government of the United States”. The statement warned that “for every assassination, a US company will be destroyed” and that “whenever Iran suffers a terrorist operation, the aforementioned companies’ facilities will be struck”.

The list notably includes G42, an Emirati artificial intelligence company, alongside American firms, reflecting Iran’s broader view of technology infrastructure across the Gulf region as legitimate military targets.

Why This Matters

The threat marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the U.S.-Israeli alliance, broadening the scope of retaliation beyond traditional military targets to include private sector civilian infrastructure. It represents a dramatic shift in Iran’s military doctrine, explicitly linking commercial technology companies to state-sponsored military operations.

The warning comes against a backdrop of devastating violence that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities. That attack killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. In the weeks since, Israel has reportedly assassinated additional key Iranian figures, including Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Alireza Tangsiri, Commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Navy.

Iran has already demonstrated its willingness to target technology infrastructure. In early March, Iranian drones attacked several Amazon data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, causing significant damage. The IRGC claimed those attacks were aimed at identifying the role of these centers in supporting what Iran describes as “enemy military and intelligence activities” .

The Companies’ Alleged Role

Iran has specifically accused these companies of enabling U.S. and Israeli military capabilities through advanced technology services. According to reports from Iranian media, facilities identified as potential targets include offices, data centers, and technology infrastructure across Israel and Gulf countries, particularly those tied to cloud computing, AI development, and advanced research.

The IRGC claims that several of these companies have direct ties to Israeli military infrastructure. In a separate announcement on Tuesday, Iran’s army said it had already launched drone attacks on what it described as “important and strategic” communication and industrial centers affiliated with the Israeli military, including the Siemens Software Center near Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and Telecom and AT&T Communications facilities in Haifa.

The IRGC alleged that the Siemens center is “responsible for optimizing weapon production lines and designing military systems for the Israeli military using advanced technologies such as AI and industrial automation”.

U.S. Response and Regional Context

The White House has responded to the threat with a warning of its own. A White House official told reporters that U.S. forces “have been prepared to deter any attack,” though the official did not elaborate on specific measures being taken.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the coming days would be “decisive” in the conflict with Iran, warning Tehran that if it does not reach an agreement to end hostilities, the conflict will intensify. “Our choices are increasing, and theirs are decreasing,” Hegseth said. “In just one month, we have set the terms. The coming days will be decisive. Iran knows this, but militarily, they are virtually powerless”.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil supply normally flows, remains largely closed to international shipping, with only a handful of vessels receiving permission to pass. The economic toll on the region has been severe. A United Nations Development Programme report released Monday warned that the war could cost Arab nations between $120 billion and $194 billion in lost GDP, push up to 4 million people into poverty, and eliminate approximately 3.6 million jobs across the region.

A Dangerous Precedent

The IRGC’s threat to target private companies represents a significant departure from conventional rules of engagement in international conflict. By explicitly declaring that it will strike corporate facilities based on their alleged role in supporting enemy military operations, Iran is effectively redrawing the boundaries of legitimate targets in modern warfare, a development that could have profound implications for multinational corporations operating in conflict zones.

For the 18 named companies, the threat poses an immediate operational crisis. Many maintain regional headquarters, data centers, and retail operations throughout the Gulf, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, which has positioned itself as a global technology hub. The IRGC’s warning to employees and nearby residents suggests that Iran has identified specific facilities it considers within range of its strike capabilities.

As the 8:00 p.m. Tehran time deadline approaches, the technology industry and regional governments are bracing for what Iran has promised will be a devastating response to what it views as the weaponization of American technology against its people. Whether the threat is carried out and to what extent remains to be seen. But for the thousands of employees working at the regional offices of these companies across the Middle East, Tuesday evening brings an anxious wait.