IRGC names 18 US tech and defense firms as targets from April 1 — employees ordered to evacuate
·Tehran, Iran
Iran's IRGC declared 18 major US companies — including Microsoft, Apple, Google, Boeing, Intel, Dell, HP, Cisco, IBM, Meta, JPMorgan Chase, Tesla, Palantir, and others — as legitimate military targets starting 8 PM Tehran time on Wednesday April 1. The IRGC accused them of aiding 'terrorist operations' in Iran and advised all employees at their Gulf facilities to 'immediately leave workplaces to preserve their lives.'
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement designating 18 major US companies as legitimate military targets from 8 PM Tehran time on Wednesday April 1, 2026 (16:30 UTC / 18:30 Stockholm). The IRGC stated:
'These companies should expect the destruction of their respective units in exchange for each terror act in Iran, starting from 8 pm Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1.'
'We advise the employees of these institutions to immediately leave their workplaces to preserve their lives.'
Companies named in the IRGC list include: Dell Technologies, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard (HP), Cisco, Intel, Oracle, Apple, Meta Platforms, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Tesla, General Electric, and Boeing — as well as Google and Palantir per Wired, and additional defense/aerospace companies per Newsweek (total 18 companies). The IRGC accused these firms of being 'the key element in designing and implementing assassinations' of Iranian leaders, calling them 'involved in terrorist operations' for their AI, cloud, and logistics roles supporting US and Israeli strike campaigns.
The threat escalates beyond previous Iranian cyber and physical attacks on Gulf oil infrastructure to explicitly naming US tech giants, banks, and industrial conglomerates. The deadline of April 1 is one day after Hegseth declared 'upcoming days decisive' and B-52s began flying over Iran. The naming of JPMorgan Chase suggests a financial-sector target component alongside the tech and defense firms. The IRGC threat comes as Iran and the US engage in back-channel talks via Pakistan intermediaries, and as China and Pakistan called for an immediate ceasefire.