Iran tells Microsoft, Boeing employees to evacuate Middle East offices immediately after attacks threatened
Apr 1, 2026, 7:02 AM | Updated: 8:04 am
Company logos for Microsoft and Boeing. (Photos courtesy of Getty Images)
(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is warning employees at 18 major American companies to evacuate their Middle East workplaces immediately, with a deadline of 9:30 a.m. PST Wednesday for attacks to begin. Two of those companies, Microsoft and Boeing, call Washington state home. Amazon, which was not listed, was previously attacked a month ago.
The threats target company facilities and personnel in the Middle East, not U.S. or Washington state locations. But the warning puts two of the region’s largest employers squarely in the middle of a conflict that is already driving fuel prices to historic highs and rattling global supply chains.
“From now on, for every assassination, an American company will be destroyed,” the IRGC said in a post to its Telegram channel, according to CNBC.
The IRGC accused the companies of enabling U.S. and Israeli military targeting operations in the ongoing Iran war, including strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict in late February.
Whether this is a credible threat or bellicose rhetoric is an open question. The IRGC has a history of warnings that don’t materialize. But Iran has already struck American infrastructure once this month, and the damage to Amazon Web Services data centers in the UAE and Bahrain on March 1 was real. Wednesday’s deadline will answer the question one way or another.
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Iran IRGC target list 2026: Why Microsoft and Boeing made the list
Both Washington companies have significant operations and investments in the Middle East, according to reporting by CNBC and Wired.
Microsoft, alongside Amazon, has poured billions of dollars into Gulf state data center infrastructure as part of a massive AI buildout across the region. The IRGC accused both companies of providing technology that enabled joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran. Boeing’s inclusion reflects the same accusation: that its equipment and technology supported the military campaign.
The full IRGC target list also includes Apple, Google, Nvidia, Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Dell, Palantir, JPMorgan, Tesla, GE, Spire Solutions, and the UAE-based AI company G42.
Amazon Web Services Iran attack: What already happened in the Middle East
Iranian drones struck two Amazon Web Services data centers in the UAE and Bahrain on March 1, the first publicly confirmed attack on American-owned hyperscale cloud infrastructure, according to Wired. A third data center was damaged. Banking sites, payment processors, and consumer services across the region crashed as a result.
Wednesday’s threatened IRGC attacks would expand that campaign significantly, targeting 18 companies at once.
Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing respond to Iran IRGC threat
Intel told CNBC the company is moving to protect its people.
“The safety and well-being of our team is our No. 1 priority. We are taking steps to safeguard and support our workers and facilities in the Middle East and are actively monitoring the situation.”
Microsoft, Google, and JP Morgan declined to comment, according to CNBC and Wired. Amazon did not immediately respond.
KIRO Newsradio has reached out to Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing for comment and is awaiting responses.
President Trump said Tuesday he expects U.S. forces to leave Iran in two to three weeks and will address the nation on the Iran war Wednesday night.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
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