Earlier this week, a data centre operated by Amazon in Bahrain came under attack from Iran .
The strike, which caused an undisclosed amount of damage to the company's facility, came a day after Iran's Revolutionary Guard issued a threat against 16 American companies with a presence in the Middle East.
Though Amazon itself was not included, the list was a who's who of America's most powerful tech companies, alongside Boeing and JP Morgan Chase, America's largest financial institution.
The Revolutionary Guard did not explain the rationale for why each company made the list, stating only that they had been involved in "terrorist espionage operations".
Here's a breakdown of which companies made the list, their operations in the Middle East and the ties of some of them to the US-Israeli war . Apple Among America's most valuable companies, Apple has invested billions of dollars in recent years to expand in the Middle East.
Israel is the location for one of the company's largest engineering hubs outside of the US. More than 1,000 people are employed in its research and development (R&D) centres in Haifa and Herzliya, whose focuses include chip design and AI. The company has also been a major investor in several Israeli tech startups.
Its Gulf presence is concentrated mainly in the UAE, where it operates five stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In Saudi Arabia, it is preparing to open its first physical stores later this year after completing its online launch in 2025. Boeing The defence and aerospace giant has a substantial presence across the region, employing more than 3,000 people in offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Dubai hosts the company's regional headquarters, from which it distributes components to the US and other militaries in the region.
Boeing is one of the US and Israeli militaries' most important defence contractors. It provides the bulk of their fleets of tankers and airlifters, supplies key attack aircraft such as the F-15 fighter jet and the B1 bomber, and produces a range of precision-guided bombs and missiles for air defence systems. Cisco Cisco Systems is one the largest US IT companies. It produces a range of hardware and software for networking and security and provides cloud computing services.
It provides part of the secure communications infrastructure used by the US and Israeli militaries, as well as cybersecurity and data storage services. Its technologies have been deployed in surveillance systems used by Israel against Palestinians in the occupied territories. It has also established facilities in illegal settlements in the West Bank and has invested billions in startups linked to Israeli intelligence.
In the Gulf, it has partnered with Emirati tech company G42 and Saudi Arabia's Humain to support the countries' indigenous development of AI. Dell Best known for its laptops, Dell is also a key provider of IT infrastructure including and storage, security and networking services. Its regional headquarters is located in Dubai and also has a presence in Saudi Arabia, where it last year opened its first manufacturing and fulfilment centre in the region. The company provides essential IT services to both the US and Israeli militaries. General Electric GE is a key supplier of engines and component parts used by the US and Israeli air forces and navies. It has a large footprint in the Middle East, providing support for airlines and supplying power generation technology across the region. Google Google has acquired major defence contracts with the US military in recent years particularly since the advent of AI. Last year, it agreed a $200 million deal with the US defence department to develop AI infrastructure and provides cloud services for military purposes.
Israel serves as one of the Google's leading R&D hubs and employs around 2,000 people in the country. It has strong ties to Israel's defence establishment, recently partnering with Amazon on a $1.2 billion contract to provide AI and cloud services to the Israeli government and its military.
Leaked documents revealed that the companies agreed to impose no restrictions on Israel's use of the technology, even if it violated their terms of use. Google has also invested heavily in local startups, notably acquiring an Israeli intelligence-linked company for $32 billion last year.
Dubai serves as Google's regional hub in the Gulf, where it is increasing its role in local AI development. It is currently working with Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund on an AI hub near Dammam. HP The tech manufacturer provides devices and other IT infrastructure to the US and Israeli militaries. It developed a biometric Basel System for the Israeli defence ministry, which was used to collect information and the control the movement of Palestinians at checkpoints in the occupied West Bank.
In the Gulf, it has invested in AI and manufacturing projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It currently has offices in Riyadh, Dubai and Cairo. IBM IBM is a major provider of AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity services to the US military. It has recently adopted the company's new AI model that that analyses intelligence and advises on mission planning.
The company's most important market in the region is Israel, where it provides a range of services to the Israeli military and operates a database of Palestinians' biometric information.
The company has its regional headquarters in Riyadh and has offices in the UAE, Qatar and Egypt. Intel America's largest semiconductor manufacturer has had a presence in the Middle East for decades, chiefly in Israel where it has invested billions in R&D centres and factories. It employs tens of thousands of Israelis, making it the largest private employer in the country's tech sector. The company is currently undertaking a $25 billion expansion of its chip plant in Kiryat Gat which is expected to be finished in 2028.
In recent years Intel has expanded into the Gulf, establishing data centres in Saudi Arabia and the UAE amid the countries' push into AI.
The company is a critical partner for the US military, supplying advanced chips for a range of military and intelligence applications. JP Morgan America's largest financial institution, JP Morgan is one of dozens of Western lenders to have expanded in the Gulf in recent years in a bid to capitalise on the region's oil wealth. Headquartered in Dubai, the bank provides corporate banking, investment banking and asset management services to clients across the region. It has offices in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Cairo, Beirut and Manama.
JP Morgan was one of several Western banks to order their staff in the region to work from home in response to the war. Iran's Revolutionary Guard last month warned that it could target banks in the Gulf that have ties to the US and Israel. Meta The company formerly known as Facebook has a significant Middle East presence, with offices in Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Meta has fewer military links than other US technology companies, though it recently partnered with defence tech firm Anduril to produce augmented reality headsets for American soldiers.
Meta closed its Tel Aviv office last month in response to the war. Microsoft Microsoft has developed significant partnerships with both the US and Israeli militaries. It is among the growing number of companies to have enabled its AI and cloud technologies to be used for warfare and surveillance. The company moved to limit Israel's access to its cloud services following outrage at its deployment for mass surveillance.
The tech giant has had a multi-decade presence in Israel where it operates an R&D facility and a chip development centre.
Microsoft has also invested heavily in the Gulf and is central to the UAE's ambitions to become a regional leader in artificial intelligence, and is investing more than $15 billion to build AI and data centres in the country. Nvidia Nvidia's development of advanced AI chips has seen it become one of America's most critical tech firms, both for consumers and the US defence industry. Both the US and Israeli militaries rely on the Nvidia's semiconductors for autonomous weapons and AI supercomputers. The company is also building AI computers for the US defence department that will allow it to conduct research on advanced weapons and energy.
Like other major US companies, it also has deep links to Israel and last year announced a major expansion in the country with a $1.5 billion campus and server farm.
Nvidia is also pivotal to the UAE's AI ambitions. It agreed last year to build the largest set of AI data centres outside of the UAE as part of the " Stargate UAE " project that Abu Dhabi hopes will see it become a regional leader in the technology. Oracle Oracle is one of the largest technology companies in the US and provides a range of products and services including cloud computing, database management and enterprise software. The company is led by Larry Ellison, a key backer of Donald Trump and one of Israel's biggest supporters in the US corporate world.
The company provides both the US and Israeli militaries access to its cloud services, AI infrastructure and database platforms. Palantir Unlike other companies on the list, Palantir has had links to the US intelligence since its founding, when it received venture funding from the CIA.
The secretive company provides AI-driven data collection and analysis that has been deployed by governments to conduct mass surveillance and assist with military targeting. Its technology has become deeply embedded in the occupation of the West Bank and was reportedly used to generate automated kill lists during Israel's assault on Gaza. Tesla Elon Musk's Tesla entered the region in 2017 when it opened its first stores and charging stations in the UAE. The company has become one of Israel's leading EV companies since launching in 2021. Since Israel launched its attack on Iran, Musk has allowed Tesla owners in the country to charge their cars for free.
Musk – a key Trump ally – is now pushing to further expand in the region and last year the company opened its first stores and charging stations in Saudi Arabia.