Iran Guards say they will target U.S. tech firms if more leaders killed

FILE: Iranian Revolutionary Guard members march during an annual armed forces parade marking anniversary of the beginning of war against Iran by former Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein 44 years ago, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that they would target leading U.S. technology firms like Apple, Google and Meta if more Iranian leaders were killed in “targeted assassinations.”

“These companies, starting from 8:00 p.m. (1630 GMT) Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1, should expect the destruction of their relevant units in exchange for every assassination in Iran,” the Guards said in a statement listing the names of 18 companies it alleged were complicit in the killing of officials.

“We advise the employees of these institutions to immediately leave their workplaces to preserve their lives,” it added.

The threat comes as U.S. President Donald Trump says he is conducting diplomacy aimed at putting an end to the conflict, while also threatening to amplify the U.S.-Israeli campaign against the Islamic republic.

The Guards’ statement said the U.S. government and tech giants had “ignored our repeated warnings regarding the necessity” of halting operations targeting top Iranian officials, alleging that the tech firms are the “main element in designing and tracking assassination targets.”

As a result, these 18 companies -- who also included Intel, Microsoft and Oracle, as well as electric car company Tesla, analytics firm Palantir, and chip giant Nvidia -- risk retaliation, the statement said.

“Companies that actively participate in terrorist designs will face reciprocal action for every targeted assassination,” the statement said.

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour were killed on the first day of the war on February 28, with the U.S. and Israel seeking to kill an entire echelon of the Iranian leadership.

The Islamic republic’s powerful security chief, Ali Larijani, has also been killed, as have many other prominent figures.

Israel and the United States say they have dealt a major blow to Iran by killing top officials, but some analysts say the Islamic republic is showing resilience and capacity to recover from the setbacks.