Mohsen Rezaee, former IRGC Commander and currently Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran: “The United States has extremely expensive assets in the UAE and around the Strait of Hormuz that we have not yet included among our targets…If another war breaks out, many [undersea fiber optic] cables, data centers, artificial intelligence facilities, and [related] sites in the region will be destroyed.”
Another True Promise
This is not a threat. It’s a promise. Iran offered the US a taste of what it will do early in the war by “obliterating” Amazon Cloud services in Bahrain. On 15 September, “Amazon Web Services [announced that it] cannot restore access to its cloud-computing facility in Bahrain and one of three data-hosting zones in the United Arab Emirates….”
Tehran will go full throttle if the US and Israel escalate their war against the Iranian nation—and it is a war against an ancient and noble civilization (not against the Islamic Republic of Iran)—as Marco Rubio made clear in Athens on 7 October 2026.
Iran’s Strategic Objective
Iran’s strategic objective is simple: expulsion of the US from the Persian Gulf region. There are two phases to the process. The first is military; the second is economic. A recapitulation of the military campaign waged by Iran since 28 February will illustrate how the economic campaign against US business interests is likely to unfold.
Step 1: Destruction of US Bases in GCC, Jordan, and Iraq
Waves of drones and ballistic missiles destroyed eighteen US bases, including the Fifth Fleet’s HQ in Manama, Bahrain. Critical base facilities, accommodations, control centers, and radars and communications infrastructure were demolished. Air strips and rudimentary base facilities remain, but the bases are inoperable for offensive purposes (i.e., Iran is allowing US helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to land and takeoff from airbases in Kuwait,, UAE, and Bahrain, but will strike if they turn against Iran). On Iran’s systematic air campaign, see “Debasification: Iranian Air War Strategy,” 19 July 2026.
Despite claims by mainstream media outlets about US plans for a smaller military footprint in the Persian Gulf, these bases will never be rebuilt. See “US bases are not coming back: Iran’s strikes rewrite Washington’s West Asia doctrine,” 11 May 2026. The last American redoubts are in Jordan and Israel; however, Muwaffaq al-Salti Base in Jordan, a vital launch point for attacks on Iran since 28 February, has been heavily damaged.
The loss of regional bases forced the US to retreat to RAF Fairford, from where USAF launched long-range bombing runs against Iran. All USAF bombers were re-deployed to the continental US on 4 October. This hasty retreat is because Fairford is now within range of advanced Iranian ballistic missiles: 4,000km from western Iran to Gloucestershire.
It is easier for IRGC Aerospace to strike US bases in Europe than US bases in England—should the US again attack Iran from Europe. Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece have been formally warned that they will be targeted in the next round.
Lastly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allowed DOD to use bases in KSA to target Iran. However, the fate of the House of Saud is an open question. Iran and Yemen are in the process of taming KSA. Yemen is nearing full liberation from Saudi and UAE control. Three major civilian airports in KSA were shutdown over the weekend; the East-West Pipeline and manifold oil refineries and energy storage facilities have been bombed; and the Bab al-Mandab is sealed to Saudi maritime traffic. Future economic impacts on KSA, which was struggling with high state-linked debt (ca. $600 billion) and growing budget deficits (for 1H26, ca. $45 billion) even before MBS launched his attack on Yemen on 13 July, will be severe.
Step 2: Breaking the US’s Economic Stranglehold in the Persian Gulf
On 1 March, the day after Trump and Netanyahu launched their war against the Iranian nation, IRGC Aerospace bombed Amazon data centers in Bahrain.
On 31 March, Iranian media announced that eighteen US companies—including “Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Oracle, Intel, HP, IBM, Cisco, Dell, Palantir, Nvidia, Tesla, JP Morgan, GE, and Boeing” will be struck on 1 April. Although the threat was not carried out, they remain in Tehran’s target bank. On 11 June, Tehran included “all interests associated with the economic holdings managed by Elon Musk in West Asia” in their target bank.
Writers have proffered reasons for the targeting of data centers; for example, “as the use of AI tools and other cloud-based resources continues to grow in importance for countries around the world, commercial data centers will be targets in future conflicts.” But this is only part of the story. Starlink, for example, has been weaponized against Russia and Iran.
Tehran’s reasoning is logical:
- Amazon, Oracle, SpaceX, Boeing, etc. provide civilian and military services and technologies. Their existence near Iran is a critical security risk;
- Presence of American entities—banking, technology, aerospace, etc.—in the Persian Gulf are excuses for the US Government to interfere in Middle Eastern affairs to “protect” US business interests;
- A post-American Persian Gulf would allow for Global South companies (Iran’s BRICS+ allies), especially China—Iran’s primary economic, military, and intelligence partner—to fill voids in regional shipping, insurance, banking, technology, and the like.
China currently has ca. $200 billion in contracts across the Persian Gulf to build railways, solar parks, seaports, and stadia. Chinese banks—ICBC, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Agricultural Bank of China—have overtaken US/UK/EU lending (ca. $15.7 bil vs. ca. $4.6 bil.). Shoving the remaining US/US/EU investors, innovators, and builders out of the Persian Gulf benefits Iran and BRICS+ companies.
Submarine Cables
The “Europe-Persian Express Gateway” (EPEG or OMRAN/EPEG) hybrid (terrestrial-submarine) system linking Frankfurt to Oman passes through Iran, with a minor submarine section from Chahbahar, Iran, to Barka, Oman. Iran benefits incidentally from EPEG (transit fees, etc.). EPEG is mostly for the benefit of Europe, Russia, and Asia.
Iran benefits from data flows through FALCON and GBI cables (see below), but can cut sections of the loops without losing internet connectivity. Moreover, since Iran has its internal internet (National Information Network) and domestic apps for banking, communications (messaging, email, “Facetime,” etc.) and “Uber” pickups and takeout/grocery deliveries, it can seal itself from the rest of the world—as it did earlier in 2026—while unleashing mayhem on its enemies.
Four options for Iran to create chaos for its NATO enemies:
• AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Europe 1): Commercial data routes from EU to Asian markets;
• FALCON: Links major US cloud and AI data centers (Google, Microsoft, Amazon) in the Persian Gulf, and connects these facilities to the world;
• GBI (Gulf Bridge International): Digital backbone for Western technology infrastructure and corporate operations in the Persian Gulf;
• SeaMeWe-5: Intercontinental system via the Persian Gulf carrying high-volume data between European and Asian financial networks.
Final Word
I can only speculate as to which, if any, undersea cables will be sliced. However, if Trump and Netanyahu unleash another round of warfare on Iran, I can say with high confidence that US technology companies will suffer the same fate as US bases in the GCC, Iraq, and Jordan.
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