Apple has been threatened by Iran according to CBS News. The report says that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) promised to attack the Middle East locations belonging to U.S.-based tech and finance companies. The IRGC mentioned 18 U.S. companies on Tuesday in a post made on the Telegram messaging app. Among the American tech firms listed by the IRGC were Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google, Meta, IBM, Nvidia and Cisco. Financial companies included J.P. Morgan; also on the list was automaker Tesla and airline manufacturer Boeing.
The IRGC calls Apple, Google and other tech companies “terrorists”
The post warned those working for one of these companies to leave their workplaces immediately in order to save their lives. The IRGC also told residents living within a kilometer of “these terrorist companies” in all countries in the region to leave their places and go to a safe place in the area. The IRGC had made a similar threat earlier this month after stating that Iran’s “legitimate targets are gradually expanding.”
Iran said that the companies it included on the list are acting as spies for the U.S. government and are helping the U.S. military attack Iran. The IRGC also said that the U.S. ignored its repeated warnings about the need to stop what it called “terrorist operations.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps explained that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and AI companies are an extension of the U.S. government. Iran says that these companies help pick and choose locations for U.S. attacks on Iran making them legitimate targets in the eyes of the IRGC.
Apple investors shrug off the warning
The threat from Iran did not faze Apple investors as the stock soared $7.16 or 2.9% to $253.79 at the close of regular trading on Tuesday. In after-hours trading, Apple tacked on an additional $1.20 or 0.47% to wind up the day at $254.99.
The U.S. announced on Tuesday that it is prepared to thwart any attacks by the IRGC. It is important to note that while Iran does not have any missiles that can reach the U.S., there is always concern that it could perform terrorist acts against U.S. tech and financial companies on U.S. soil.
