IRAN STRIKES AMAZON: Drone Attacks on AWS Data Centres Mark a New Front in the Middle East War
STRAP: Iran’s IRGC targets Amazon Web Services facilities in the UAE and Bahrain, knocking out cloud infrastructure, crippling banking and payment systems — and raising urgent questions about the vulnerability of Big Tech in a war zone.
By Staff Reporter | April 2, 2026
In an unprecedented escalation of the conflict between Iran and the United States, Iranian drones have struck Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres across the Gulf — dealing the first known military blows against American hyperscale cloud infrastructure in history.
Before dawn on March 1, 2026, Iranian Shahed drones struck two AWS data centres in the United Arab Emirates. A third commercial data centre in Bahrain was also hit. The attacks sent shockwaves far beyond the battlefield.
The strikes damaged two AWS sites in the UAE and one in Bahrain, disrupting services across the region — including delivery apps, ride-hailing platforms, payment processors, and enterprise software. The local banking system was among the hardest hit.
The IRGC was swift to claim responsibility. Iran’s Fars News Agency stated on Telegram that the attack in Bahrain was launched “to identify the role of these centres in supporting the enemy’s military and intelligence activities.”
The strikes did not occur in a vacuum. The incidents followed joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran over the weekend, with Iran retaliating against Israeli and U.S. bases across the Gulf.
Amazon confirmed the damage. The company’s cloud computing unit said one of its facilities in Bahrain was damaged due to a nearby drone strike, while two data centres in the UAE were “directly struck” by drones. All facilities remained offline, according to the AWS health dashboard.
Then, on April 1, Iran struck again. Iranian missiles hit the Batelco headquarters in Bahrain’s Hamala — the country’s largest telecommunications company, which hosts Amazon Web Services. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry confirmed that civil defence teams were extinguishing a fire at a company facility following what authorities described as an Iranian attack.
The IRGC has since widened its threat list dramatically. Iran warned it would target 17 American technology companies in the Middle East, including Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Dell, Palantir, Nvidia, JP Morgan Chase, Tesla, GE, Boeing, and Spire Solutions — accusing them of being “the main element” in designing and tracking what it called US terrorist operations against Iran.
Analysts say the attacks mark a turning point in modern warfare. As AI becomes critical to both military and civilian use cases, data centres are increasingly being viewed as strategic targets — the cloud, it turns out, has a physical address, and that address can be hit by a drone.
Experts say the attacks will lead to greater investment in data infrastructure resilience, as companies look to diversify storage locations. Potential defensive measures — including air defence systems and reinforced concrete — are expensive and do not offer full protection for sprawling data facilities.
The human stakes are real too. The IRGC warned employees at 18 major American companies to evacuate their Middle East workplaces immediately, with a deadline for attacks to begin.
For now, the cloud — long marketed as invisible and untouchable — has proven otherwise.
