Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a stark warning, threatening retaliation against U.S. tech companies operating in the Middle East, including major players like Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Google. The IRGC announced on Tuesday that 18 specific companies would become “legitimate targets” following recent U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory.
The threats are set to take effect at 8 p.m. Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1 (12:30 p.m. EDT), as outlined in a statement shared on the IRGC’s Telegram channel, which was translated via Google. The group urged employees of the identified tech firms to evacuate their workplaces immediately for their safety, threatening, “From now on, for every assassination, an American company will be destroyed.”
In addition to Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Google, the list of businesses facing threats includes Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Dell, Palantir, JP Morgan, Tesla, General Electric, Spire Solutions, Boeing, and G42, an AI company based in the UAE. This escalation follows Iranian cyberattacks on Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in the region earlier this month, which resulted in significant outages for various applications and digital services across the UAE.
U.S. tech companies have increasingly invested in the Middle East, focusing on AI infrastructure development, primarily fueled by lower energy costs and available land. Intel has responded to the IRGC’s threats, emphasizing the safety of its personnel as a top priority. “We are taking steps to safeguard and support our workers and facilities in the Middle East and are actively monitoring the situation,” an Intel spokesperson told CNBC.
All firms listed in the IRGC’s announcement were contacted for comment, though Microsoft, Google, and JP Morgan chose not to provide a statement. Tensions between Iran and the U.S. escalated sharply following Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on Iran on February 28, which have prompted widespread retaliatory action from Iranian forces. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, more than 3,000 drones and missiles have been launched against U.S. allies in the region, impacting nations such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait since the outbreak of hostilities.
In a related development, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that American military forces could withdraw from Iran within “two or three weeks.” The White House announced that Trump would address the nation regarding the ongoing conflict on Wednesday night. Recent reports from the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) indicate over 3,400 casualties among Iranian civilians and military personnel, while U.S. Central Command has confirmed the deaths of thirteen American service members.
As this situation unfolds, the potential for cyber and physical retaliation against major American tech companies looms large, signaling a significant shift in the dynamics of Middle Eastern geopolitics and tech industry safety.
This article has been updated to correct the conversion for the Eastern time zone regarding the IRGC’s announced start time for potential attacks.
Tags: Iran, IRGC, tech companies, U.S. military, cyber threats, Middle East, geopolitical tensions.
Original Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/01/iran-irgc-nvidia-appple-attack-threat.html
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Publish Date: 2026-04-01 15:58:00
