Iran warns US, Israel, threatens to target economic centres, banks across Gulf

Iran threatens economic targets as Gulf conflict widens

As the war in West Asia entered its 12th day on Wednesday, Iran’s military warned it would expand its targets to include US and Israeli economic interests across the region, including banks. The threat followed overnight attacks that reportedly struck a bank in Tehran, killing an unspecified number of employees.

“The enemy has given us free rein to target economic centres and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime,” the military’s central operational command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement carried by state television.

A spokesperson for the Khatam ol Anbia joint command said Iran would target economic and banking interests linked to the US and Israel across the region. Ebrahim Zolfaqari warned civilians to stay away from banks, saying the attacks had forced Iran to respond.

Iran’s joint military command confirmed that banks and financial institutions would now be considered targets in the Middle East. The announcement came after reports that employees at a bank in Tehran were killed during Israeli-American airstrikes.

Meanwhile, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published what it described as a list of offices and infrastructure linked to major US technology companies. The report claimed these firms had connections with Israel and that their technology had been used for military purposes, describing the locations as “Iran’s new targets.”

According to the report, as the regional conflict expands into what it called an “infrastructure war,” the range of targets Iran considers legitimate could widen further.

Companies mentioned included Google, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle Corporation. Offices and cloud-service infrastructure linked to these firms operate in several Israeli cities as well as in some Gulf countries.

The conflict continued to escalate across the Gulf on Wednesday as Israel and Iran exchanged fire. Tehran targeted oil infrastructure and commercial vessels, increasing pressure on the region’s energy sector. Two Iranian drones crashed near Dubai International Airport, injuring four people, although flight operations continued.

In another incident, a projectile struck a container ship near Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Kuwait said it had shot down eight Iranian drones, while Saudi Arabia reported intercepting five drones heading toward the Shaybah oil field. Iranian actions have also disrupted cargo movement through the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial shipping route that carries about one-fifth of all oil exported from the Persian Gulf — and have included strikes targeting oil fields and refineries across Gulf Arab states.