Iran's IRGC Claims Cruise Missile Strike on Amazon AWS Data Hub in Bahrain

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it launched cruise missiles at Amazon's central data infrastructure in Bahrain, the latest escalation in a widening confrontation between Tehran and Washington that is now bleeding directly into US tech infrastructure abroad.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed on Tuesday that its Aerospace Force targeted and “destroyed” the central data infrastructure of the US company Amazon in Bahrain using several cruise missiles. The claim has not been independently verified, and Amazon, Bahraini and US officials have not commented.

What Iran is claiming

According to a statement posted on the IRGC's information website on Tuesday, the Amazon data center was struck with several cruise missiles, in continuation of the 24th wave of Operation Nasr-2, and in response to Sunday's US attack on an under-construction nuclear power plant and the civilian population in Darkhovin.

The IRGC also said in a statement released by its public relations office that “US air defence systems and radar installations in the Bahraini areas of Muharraq and Riffa were also targeted” in the attack. Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, the main naval force of US Central Command (CENTCOM).

Not the first hit on AWS in the region

This isn't the first time that the American tech giant's data centers have been attacked in the area. In fact, Iran used drones and missiles to hit several AWS Middle East regional data centers just days after the U.S. began its air strikes against the country.

The damage to the sites has gotten to the point that Amazon put them in “hard down” status between late March and early April, with the last update on the AWS Health Dashboard saying that the Middle East (Bahrain) Region (ME-SOUTH-1) “is currently unavailable.” The IRGC claims to have ‘destroyed’ AWB Bahrain, but the company has moved operations off the facility since early April.

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The broader tech target list

On March 31, Iran officially labelled 18 US technology companies as legitimate military targets. That list includes Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, Apple, Meta, HP, Tesla, Oracle, Boeing, Cisco, and IBM.

In April, the IRGC threatened attacks on a swath of U.S. tech companies with operations in the Middle East, including Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft and Google. Traders should note the risk is not confined to cloud infrastructure, it extends to any US-branded facility in the Gulf.

Where the conflict stands

Since hostilities have resumed, U.S. Central Command has pounded Iran with 10 straight nights of strikes, saying that the attacks are to “degrade Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Shipping through the critical waterway has fallen since the resumption of hostilities, which keeps energy and shipping names in the mix alongside the tech exposure. See other news for the running conflict coverage.

Options market and stocks to watch

AMZN: Direct name in the crosshairs. Watch for headline sensitivity on any AWS status updates or confirmation from Amazon on Bahrain region availability.

MSFT, GOOGL, AAPL: All named on the IRGC target list. Watch for any disclosed Middle East footprint disruptions or insurance/opex commentary.

NVDA: Named in Iranian threats and central to Gulf AI buildouts, including Stargate-linked capacity. Watch for headline risk tied to regional data center rollouts.

XOM: Strait of Hormuz shipping disruption keeps a crude risk premium in play. Watch energy vol if strikes escalate.

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