IRGC claims it destroyed US drone depot, AI center in Bahrain

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Friday that it struck and "completely destroyed" what it described as Bahrain's "main artificial intelligence center," claiming the facility was used by the United States to assist in target selection for military operations in the region. The strike, part of the 17th wave of the IRGC's ongoing "Operation Nasr 2," also targeted a depot housing US unmanned surface vessels, according to the IRGC's Statement No. 25.english.almayadeen+2

The IRGC said the site was hit with "several ballistic missiles and dozens of drones," and that the AI center had been used by the US "to assist the enemy in target selection for committing war crimes," according to Anadolu Agency. The US military has not confirmed the claimed destruction.middleeastmonitor+1

Widening Conflict Over the Strait of Hormuz

The IRGC said its latest strikes came in response to US attacks the previous night on bridges inside Iran that it said killed and injured civilians. The exchange marked a seventh consecutive night of US military strikes on Iran, with US Central Command saying it targeted surveillance sites, logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities as part of efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.aljazeera+3

The conflict between Washington and Tehran has steadily expanded since late February, when Iran first struck Bahrain in retaliation for US operations. The IRGC has since claimed attacks on US assets across Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Syria, while the US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.wikipedia+2

Threats to Tech Infrastructure

The IRGC warned that if the US continues targeting bridges and transportation infrastructure in Iran, it would strike "the most important industrial, information technology and artificial intelligence assets of companies with American shareholders" in countries hosting US military bases. This echoes earlier threats: in March, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published a target list naming Amazon Amazon.com, Inc. ↘ 2.24%, Microsoft ↗ 0.52%, Google Alphabet Inc. ↘ 3.58%, Nvidia ↘ 1.47%, IBM International Business Machines Corporation ↗ 0.60%, Oracle ↘ 3.11% and Palantir ↗ 3.68% — identifying 29 locations across the UAE, Israel, Qatar and Bahrain.foxnews+1

Iran has previously claimed strikes on Oracle and Amazon Web Services data centers in the Gulf earlier in the conflict. The targeting of AI and cloud computing infrastructure marks an escalation in the strategic dimensions of the US-Iran war, with Tehran framing technology facilities as legitimate military targets tied to American operations in the region.tomshardware