Iran threatens attacks on US and Israeli banks in Middle East

The ongoing war in the Middle East has taken a new and alarming turn. On the 12th day since the conflict began on February 28, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has openly threatened attacks on “banks and economic facilities” linked to the United States and Israel in the region. The threat came after an attack on an Iranian bank in Tehran.

On Wednesday (March 11), a spokesperson for the IRGC-owned Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said in a statement that “the enemy has now opened our hands to target economic centers and banks linked to the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel) in the region.”

The Iranian government has warned ordinary people in the region not to stay within at least one kilometer of such banks or economic centers.

Meanwhile, an Iranian news agency reported that as the war is turning into an infrastructure conflict, Iran’s “range of legitimate targets is also expanding.”

The reported list includes technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle Corporation. Their cloud infrastructure and offices are located in various cities in Israel and some Gulf countries.

On Monday, Israel carried out an airstrike on a branch of the financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan in Beirut. Soon after, Iran also accused Israel of attacking a bank branch in Tehran.

Iran described the attack as an “abnormal and illegal act of war.”

Israel, however, says it is carrying out operations aimed at destroying the military capabilities of Hezbollah. According to reports, the attacks have killed at least 570 people in Lebanon and displaced around 780,000 others.