Iran Threatens Stargate AI Data Center Amid Rising Middle East Tensions

Iran’s military has issued a threat against the ‘Stargate’ project data center located in the Middle East. In a video message released on Saturday (April 4), Iranian military spokesperson Ibrahim Jolfagari stated that if the United States attacks Iran’s civilian infrastructure, Iran will retaliate against U.S. power and technology infrastructure.

In the state-released video, the camera zooms over a world map to show the ‘Stargate’ data center in the United Arab Emirates, with the message displayed: “No matter how much Google tries to hide, nothing is hidden from our sight.”

‘Stargate’ is a $500 billion joint initiative announced in January 2025 by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle to create an AI-focused data center. While the project initially faced financial and tariff-related challenges, it is now planning international expansion.

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday (April 7), warning that failure to comply could lead to attacks on Iran’s civilian installations, including power plants and water treatment facilities. Since the strait has been closed following the outbreak of war in February, global supply chains have faced severe disruptions.

Several data centers in the Middle East have already been targeted due to the ongoing conflict. Iranian missiles struck Amazon Web Services (AWS) facilities in Bahrain and Oracle’s data center in Dubai. Last week, Iran specifically threatened attacks on multiple technology companies, including Nvidia and Apple.

In this tense environment, IT experts warn that any attack on AI data centers would not only escalate regional conflict but could also have catastrophic implications for global digital services and the information technology industry.

DBTech/BMT/OR