Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has a new idea for the Gulf: a "Persian Gulf Data Authority." The pitch, posted on X on Sunday, is aimed at regional governments and investors, urging them to stop giving resources to AI companies that support U.S. military operations.
"The Persian Gulf Data Authority is coming," Ghalibaf wrote, calling on regional governments, investment funds and businesses to cut ties with companies involved in military operations.
"You are kindly advised to give no resources to any AI or data company aiding invasions or killing children," he wrote, adding that support should include no "finance, equity, land and energy. Assist them and face our enforcement."
What exactly the authority would do, what powers it would have, or how Iran could enforce restrictions on companies operating in other Gulf countries remains unclear. Ghalibaf did not outline any of that.
Iran Threatens Undersea Cables, Data Centers
The rhetoric isn't limited to strongly worded posts. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said last week that undersea communications cables, data centers and AI facilities could come within striking range during a renewed conflict.
"If war breaks out, many cables, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities, valued at $2 trillion, will be within range," Rezaei said, according to Iran International, citing Iranian state media.
He added that American technology assets in the UAE and around the Strait of Hormuz had not yet been included among Iran's targets but could face attacks if hostilities resumed.
Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the hard-line Kayhan newspaper, subsequently endorsed the warning and called for using undersea fiber-optic cables to pressure Washington and its allies, the report added.
Amazon Data Center Attacks Raise Infrastructure Risks
This isn't the first time Iran has rattled the tech industry's cage. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps previously threatened 18 major technology companies, including Microsoft, Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms, Apple, Oracle and Nvidia, accusing them of supporting U.S. military operations.
Those threats followed drone attacks in early March that damaged Amazon Web Services infrastructure in the UAE and Bahrain, causing physical damage, power disruptions and cloud service outages.
So while the "Persian Gulf Data Authority" may sound like a bureaucratic brainstorm, the backdrop is a region where physical infrastructure is already in the crosshairs. For AI companies and their investors, the message is clear: the Gulf is both a major growth market and, increasingly, a geopolitical pressure point.
