Iran Targets 13 US Firms Including Tesla, Google Over Crypto Risk
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps set an April 1 deadline to target US companies operating in the Middle East. The threat exposes crypto infrastructure built on cloud platforms, banking rails, and corporate Bitcoin holdings, with AWS data centers in UAE and Bahrain already damaged.
Key Takeaway
Crypto risk no longer sits in exchanges alone — it now runs through Big Tech infrastructure vulnerable to geopolitical strikes.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that US companies operating in the Middle East would be targeted in retaliation for strikes on Iran, naming 13 firms as legitimate targets.
The list includes Tesla, which holds 11,509 Bitcoin and ranks among the top 20 public firms globally with crypto exposure. Google disclosed ₱301.28 billion ($5 billion) in credit support to Bitcoin miners' AI projects and runs blockchain infrastructure through Google Cloud Universal Ledger. JPMorgan's Kinexys blockchain platform has processed ₱180.77 trillion ($3 trillion) in transactions since 2020 and targets ₱602.57 billion ($10 billion) in daily transaction value.
Other companies named include Microsoft, Apple, Intel, IBM, Boeing, Oracle, Palantir, Cisco, HP, and Nvidia. Iran has launched over 3,000 drones and missiles toward UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait over more than one month of fighting. AWS data centers in UAE and Bahrain were damaged by drone strikes last month, disrupting cloud services.
Crypto infrastructure now depends on these mainstream firms — Google Cloud offers managed node infrastructure and developer tools for blockchain applications, while JPMorgan operates 24/7 cross-border payment rails across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa through Kinexys. JPMorgan launched its MONY tokenized money market fund on Ethereum in December, backed by Treasuries and repurchase agreements, and piloted JPMD, a dollar-denominated deposit token, on Coinbase-backed Base network.
Tesla remains the only top 10 market-cap company with direct crypto exposure, driven by CEO Elon Musk's enduring interest in the industry and the company's Dogecoin adoption. The fighting between US forces, Israel, and Iran has continued for over one month with no clear resolution as of April 2, 2026.
This article was written based on reporting from CryptoSlate.
