Iran threatens to strike Google, Microsoft, Nvidia sites, banks as economic infra becomes new war target

Iran has now threatened to target banks and other economic sites like the premises of Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia linked to the US and Israel in the Gulf region, said an Al Jazeera report on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, which the UN describes as being owned by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, issued the warning. He said, “The enemy left our hands open to targeting economic centres and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime in the region.”

The spokesperson also warned that “people of the region should not be within a one-kilometre radius of banks.”

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‘The scope of Iran’s legitimate targets expands…’

The Tasnim news agency, an outlet affiliated with the IRGC, also published a list of offices and infrastructure tied to major US technology companies with Israeli links. It described them as “Iran’s new targets.”

The report includes Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia, and Oracle.

The list of locations includes offices and cloud infrastructure in several Israeli cities and in some Gulf countries.

Tasnim further wrote that “as the scope of the regional war expands to infrastructure war, the scope of Iran’s legitimate targets expands.”

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PwC closes offices in several Gulf countries; Deloitte evacuates Dubai office staff

After the warning, PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), a leading global professional services network recognised as one of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms, on Wednesday closed its offices in several Gulf countries for the remainder of the week as a ‘precaution,’ reported AFP, citing a source.

The offices of the British consulting group will be closed in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait, the source said, seeking anonymity, as Iran threatened to hit US- and Israel-linked economic targets in the Middle East.

Another ‘Big Four’ firm, Deloitte, also evacuated staff at its Dubai office after Iran’s threat.

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Deloitte told its staff on Wednesday to vacate their offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre, a source told AFP.

Standard Chartered, headquartered in London, maintains a significant presence in the United Arab Emirates, with offices located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a financial center that hosts numerous major international banks and law firms.

Iran has already attempted to threaten the global economy by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit that enables the transportation of almost 20% of the world's oil.

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Iran cites attack on Bank Sepah linked to its military as trigger

US-Israeli forces allegedly attacked Bank Sepah, an Iranian bank with ties to the military, in Tehran.

The central military command of the Islamic Republic said, “Following their failed campaign, the terrorist US army and cruel Zionist regime have targeted one of the country’s banks.”

“With this illegitimate and uncommon action, the enemy is forcing our hand to target economic centres and banks linked to the US and Zionist regime in the region.”

According to Iranian state media, multiple bank employees lost their lives in the assault on a bank located in northern Tehran.

After the warning, all HSBC branches were shut in Qatar until further notice, while Citi also evacuated Dubai employees after Iran’s threat.