Why is Iran targeting Gulf data centres? What does this mean for modern warfare?

Iran’s strikes on data centres in the Gulf signal a new phase in warfare, where digital infrastructure becomes a target. From AWS disruptions to threats against US tech giants, the conflict highlights how AI, cloud computing, and geopolitics are increasingly intertwined now

In recent weeks, a series of strikes attributed to Iran — particularly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — have targeted commercial data centres and technology-linked assets across the Gulf. These developments have increasingly exposed critical infrastructure operated by private companies to kinetic attacks. From damage to Amazon Web Services facilities in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to explicit threats against major American technology firms, the pattern of actions and statements emerging from Tehran suggests a deliberate focus on the systems that power artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and global communications.