Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has escalated its rhetoric.
The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency has published a list identifying offices tied to several major U.S. technology companies as potential targets, according to a report by Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
The list names facilities linked to Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR), International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL), describing them as what it called “Iran’s new targets.”
Why These Tech Companies Were Named
Tasnim described the companies’ technology as being used for military applications. “As the scope of the regional war expands to infrastructure war, the scope of Iran’s legitimate targets expands,” the agency stated.
The listed infrastructure centers on cloud-based services. The war entered its 12th day on Wednesday, with Iran claiming U.S. and Israeli forces have bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites and killed more than 1,300 civilians since hostilities began Feb. 28.
Banks And Economic Hubs Now In Crosshairs
Separately, the IRGC said it launched drones toward U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Erbil, Iraq.
A UK Maritime Trade Operations advisory confirmed a cargo ship was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire and forcing crew evacuation.
Energy Shock Ripples Across Global Markets
The physical toll on energy markets is already visible. Crude oil surged over 30% last week, briefly breaching $120 a barrel. As of Wednesday’s early New York session, WTI crude futures were up 2.06%, hovering around $85.17 per barrel, retreating from a 52-week high of $119.48.
An Iranian drone attack forced the shutdown of Qatar’s Ras Laffan — the world’s largest natural gas export facility. European natural gas prices jumped 68% in a single week, hitting a three-year high.
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