Iran has said that the country will treat all of Elon Musk’s business holdings in the Middle East, including SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service and social media platform X, as legitimate military targets, a report has said. According to the state media outlet Fars (via CNBC), Tehran is expanding its military target list to include “all interests related to economic holdings managed by Elon Musk in West Asia”, which include regional Starlink ground stations.The report says that Iranian officials claim that Musk’s companies have actively enabled high-tech US and Israeli military operations against Iran, supporting advanced weaponry ranging from aerial attack drones to unmanned maritime strike vessels. Citing “informed source,” Fars reported that Iran believes the US has committed war crimes with the direct assistance of Musk-managed corporations. The source stated: “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to attack all facilities related to [Musk]-managed holdings in the region and occupied territories.”The warning from Iranian state media arrived quickly after a public social media post from President Donald Trump warning that the US would strike Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT”. Trump added that American forces would move to seize control of Kharg Island – Iran’s critical oil-export hub.
Silicon Valley declared a ‘Legitimate Target’
The threat against Elon Musk’s companies is not the first warning from Iran. Earlier this year, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite military wing, directed its focus beyond traditional military hardware to target Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI) firms.The IRGC reportedly named more than 18 high-profile American companies on its official hit list, including:
- Social Media and Search: Meta (parent of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and Google.
- Computing and chips: Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, and chip giant Nvidia.
- Defense, logistics and automation: Palantir, Boeing, and Tesla.
Previously, multiple Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres in the United Aram Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain were damaged from Iran drone strikes, reports said, adding that this disrupted power delivery, and triggered water damage from fire suppression systems.