Susana SchwartzIran threatens 'utter annihilation' of OpenAI site
In a provocative video statement over the weekend, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened “complete and utter annihilation” of OpenAI’s $30 billion Stargate AI data center in Abu Dhabi. The 1-GW AI campus sits within a planned 5 GW campus that spans 10 square miles (26 sq km). Currently, it’s an active construction site with thousands of workers and tons of heavy equipment.
Citing U.S. and Israeli strikes on its power grid, oil fields, and newly launched threats on civilian targets, such as desalination plants, the IRGC named 17 other tech firms, including Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, and Apple. According to Iranian Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, these companies are “enabling” U.S. and Israeli military operations through AI-driven surveillance, tracking, and targeting tools. He referred to a modern era of “algorithmic warfare,” in which “nothing stays hidden from our sight, even if you attempt to conceal it through Google,” said Zolfaghari.
In terms of infrastructure and civilian targets, the IRGC has also hit such targets, like the oil refinery in Haifa, which houses Israel’s largest petrochemical and oil refineries, and the Vardiya neighborhood in Israel, with a strike on a residential building on April 5. In addition, the IRGC has struck targets in Kuwait, Bahrain and other neighboring regions.
As of this morning, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey made a proposal for a 45-day cease fire, which both President Trump and Iran have thus far refused to accept. In a Truth Social post yesterday, President Trump wrote, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” adding, “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” That follows the Friday post on TruthSocial, which said, “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.“
As we enter the 6th week of the war, aerial bombardment by the U.S.-Israeli coalition continues as a “systematic attrition,” and the Iranian people continue to be silenced by an ongoing communication blackout.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
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