Iran threatens to attack Microsoft, Google, Apple, Tesla, other US giants in the region

Iran has threatened US companies in the region, starting Wednesday, after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the conflict would intensify if Tehran did not make a deal. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a threat against 18 US companies operating in the region including Microsoft, Google, Apple, ‌Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing. 

"These companies should expect the destruction of their respective units in exchange for each terror act in Iran, starting from 8 pm Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1st," the IRGC said in its statement. It corresponds to 10 pm in India. "Since the main element in designing and tracking targets are American and ICT and AI companies from now on, these main institutions will be our legitimate targets," it said. 

A White House official said that the US military was prepared to curtail any attacks by Iran, as evinced from the 90 per cent drop in ballistic missile and drone attacks. 

On the other hand, Hegseth said that President Donald Trump was willing to make a deal with Iran to stop the war. He said even if the talks are underway, the US is ready to carry on the war if Iran did not comply. 

"We have more and more options, and they have less ... in only one month we set the terms, the upcoming days will be decisive," Hegseth said in Washington. "Iran knows that, and ​there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it."

Iran, however, says whatever communication they have received from the US is not a negotiation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he has received direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff but they do not constitute “negotiations”. The messages include threats or views that were exchanged through “friends”. 

Trump also threatened to obliterate Iran’s energy plants if it does not agree to a peace deal and open the Strait of Hormuz. He also criticised other nations, including Britain, for not helping US in the crisis and asked them to show “some delayed courage” and to go and get oil straight from the strait.