Iran's Targeting of Data Centres: A New Front in Warfare
Iran's Drone Strikes on Data Centres Amid Ongoing Conflict
Following a significant airstrike campaign by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, Iranian Shahed drones launched attacks on two Amazon Web Services data centres located in the United Arab Emirates early on March 1. Additionally, a third data centre in Bahrain was reportedly hit, although it remains uncertain if this was a targeted strike. As the conflict escalates in the Middle East, Iran announced on Thursday that it had attacked an Oracle Corporation data centre in Dubai, a claim that the UAE has refuted. Iran's state media has indicated that the country will persist in targeting American corporations, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Oracle, Intel, HP, IBM, Cisco, Dell, Palantir, and Nvidia. The month of April has already witnessed daily attacks on data centres, with an Iranian drone hitting an Amazon facility in Bahrain on April 1, followed by another strike on an Oracle data centre in Dubai on April 2.
Understanding the Strategic Importance of Data Centres
This marks a historic moment as it is the first instance of a nation intentionally targeting commercial data centres during wartime. A similar trend was observed in 2024 when Ukrainian hackers compromised data at a Russian military-affiliated data centre. However, the recent attacks in the Persian Gulf involved physical drone strikes that caused structural damage.
The rise of artificial intelligence has amplified the strategic significance of data centres. The U.S. military has increasingly incorporated AI technologies into its operations for tasks such as intelligence analysis and decision-making support. Reports indicate that AI tools like Anthropic’s Claude have been utilized to analyze extensive data sets, identify potential targets, and conduct battlefield simulations, including operations against Iran and efforts to apprehend Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
While AI enhances military operational efficiency, these systems are not physically deployed on aircraft or naval vessels. Instead, when military personnel utilize platforms like Claude, the data processing occurs on secure cloud servers, often managed by Amazon Web Services, which house sensitive governmental information and essential software.
Iran has also faced similar assaults; a data centre in Tehran, operated by the state-run Bank Sepah, was reportedly hit by a missile, likely launched by U.S. or Israeli forces, on March 11, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.
Experts from Just Security noted on March 12, 2026, that U.S. policy typically mandates that sensitive government and military data be stored within the U.S. or on Department of Defense installations. Transferring such data to Amazon data centres in the Gulf would necessitate special authorization, the status of which remains unclear.
Despite this, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has asserted that its attacks were aimed at facilities aiding 'enemy' military and intelligence efforts. Following the initial strikes, Iranian state-affiliated media suggested that major tech infrastructure in the region could be considered legitimate military targets. As data centres grow in importance for national security, they also present vulnerabilities due to their size, fixed locations, and often inadequate air defense systems, making them increasingly appealing targets in contemporary warfare.