Iran Guard Brands 18 US Companies 'Legitimate Targets'

Iran's latest threat isn't aimed at a base or a ship, but at some of the biggest names in American tech and defense. Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday posted in a Guard-linked Telegram channel that 18 major firms with operations in the Middle East—Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Intel, Cisco, IBM, Dell, Palantir, JPMorgan, Tesla, GE, and Boeing were among those listed, reports CNBC—have been deemed "legitimate targets" in response to US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Politico reports the companies in question were accused of having a hand in terrorist plots.

"From now on, for every assassination, an American company will be destroyed," reads the post, which the Wall Street Journal reports was labeled "Statement No. 51." The Revolutionary Guard said the approach would commence at 8pm local time Wednesday (12:30pm ET) and advised workers and civilians living within a kilometer of targeted facilities to leave the area. CNBC notes Iran has previously hit AWS data centers in the region, disrupting services in the UAE.