Why Iran targeted Amazon data centres, what that does – and doesn’t – change about warfare
Iran has targeted Amazon data centres in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, marking the first time a country has deliberately targeted commercial data centres during wartime. The attacks may be part of a broader effort to punish the UAE for its ties with the US and to disrupt the infrastructure supporting US military strikes on Iran.
Iranian Shahed drones struck two Amazon Web Services data centres in the UAE on March 1, 2026. A third data centre in Bahrain was also hit. Iran's state media announced plans to target US companies, including Microsoft and Google. The attacks damaged buildings and caused disruption to the local banking system. Data centres are key infrastructure for AI systems and the cloud, making them potential targets in conflict. The US military uses AI systems for decision support, and commercial data centres like AWS host secret government data and software tools.
This content was automatically generated and/or translated by AI. It may contain inaccuracies. Please refer to the original sources for verification.