Fears of a wider conflict are growing in the Middle East after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has labelled 18 US tech and finance companies as “terrorists.” The companies include Apple, Google, Microsoft among others.
The IRGC has also issued an urgent advisory to staff of major American tech companies, telling them to leave their workplaces immediately due to possible attacks. People living close to these offices have also been asked to vacate the area.
#BREAKING: Iran issues warning to employees of American companies in the Middle East: “leave the region to protect your lives. The operation will begin on Wednesday, April 1, at 8:00 PM Iran time.”
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) March 31, 2026
Threat issued against these companies:
Meta, Apple, HP, Microsoft, Google,… pic.twitter.com/uSKY1Xr8rc
The IRGC said it will begin targeting these companies from 8:00 pm local time on 1st April. The group has made it clear that tech companies such as Apple, Google and Meta, which own Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, are now considered “legitimate targets.” The group believes these companies are involved in high-tech warfare that has led to the death of Iran’s top leadership.
In its statement, the IRGC said modern warfare is now driven by artificial intelligence and advanced communication systems. It claimed that US-based ICT and artificial intelligence companies are playing a key role in designing and tracking targets, which is why they are now being directly targeted instead of just military targets.
The list of companies mentioned goes beyond tech giants and includes more than 18 firms. These include Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Dell, HP, Cisco and Oracle, along with Tesla and Boeing. It is also named Nvidia, Palantir, J.P. Morgan, GE, Spire Solutions and G42. According to the IRGC, all these organisations could face action in response to what it described as “targeted assassinations.”
Iran linked this move to ongoing attacks carried out by Israel with support from US intelligence. It has claim that more than 250 senior Iranian officials have been killed in recent weeks using advanced AI-based tracking systems. Among those reported killed are Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, IRGC chief Mohammad Pakpour, and senior figure Ali Larijani.
The IRGC added that both the US government and these companies ignored repeated warnings to stop such operations. It said every such killing would now be answered with direct retaliation against these firms.
The situation occurs at a time when US President Donald Trump is making efforts to resolve the situation even as he cautions that the US-Israel offensive may escalate.
