As the war in West Asia entered its 12th day on Wednesday, Iran’s military vowed to strike US and Israeli economic targets in the region, including banks. The announcement came after overnight attacks reportedly hit 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," said the military’s central operational command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, in a statement carried by state TV.
A spokesperson for the Khatam ol Anbia joint command said Iran will target economic and banking interests linked to the US and Israel in the region. Ebrahim Zolfaqari warned people to stay away from banks, stating the attacks forced Iran’s hand to respond.
Iran’s joint military command confirmed that banks and financial institutions would now be targeted in the Middle East. The statement followed reports that staff at a bank in Tehran had been killed in the Israeli-American airstrikes.
Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency published a list of offices and infrastructure linked to major US technology companies, claiming they have connections with Israel and that their technology has been used for military purposes. Tasnim described these locations as “Iran’s new targets."
The report said that as the regional conflict expands into what it called an “infrastructure war," the range of targets considered legitimate by Iran would also grow.
Companies named included Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia, and Oracle. Offices and cloud-service infrastructure linked to these firms are located in several Israeli cities as well as in some Gulf countries.
Israel and Iran exchanged fire early Wednesday. Tehran targeted oil infrastructure and ships, keeping pressure on the region’s oil industry. Two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport, wounding four people, while flights continued. A projectile struck a container ship off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing the crew to abandon it.
Kuwait said it downed eight Iranian drones, and Saudi Arabia intercepted five drones heading toward the Shaybah oil field. Iran has effectively halted cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of all oil from the Persian Gulf, and has targeted oil fields and refineries in Gulf Arab nations.
Source: News18