Iran warns American tech firms of attacks after leader assassinations

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to target major American technology companies if more Iranian officials are killed, according to statements reported by the semi-official Fars News Agency and cited by CNN.

Fars quoted the IRGC as saying that US information and communications technology and artificial intelligence firms play a central role in “designing and tracking assassination targets.”

“Since the main element in designing and tracking assassination targets is American ICT and AI companies, in response to these terrorist operations, from now on the main institutions effective in terrorist operations will be our legitimate targets,” the IRGC said.

The statement named a group of major US corporations among those it threatened, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta, IBM, HP, Intel, Tesla, Boeing, and JPMorgan Chase. In total, the IRGC referenced 17 companies.

The corps also issued a warning to employees of American tech firms operating in the region, urging them to “immediately distance themselves from their workplaces,” and called on residents living near offices of those companies to move to safer locations.

“Companies that actively participate in terrorist designs will be subject to reciprocal action in response to each assassination,” the IRGC said.

According to Fars, the IRGC added that “these companies, starting from 20:00 on Wednesday, April 1 (Tehran time), should expect the destruction of their relevant units in return for each assassination in Iran.”

By Tamilla Hasanova