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Iranian forces have warned staff employed by several major US firms – including Google and Meta – to evacuate workplaces in the region, describing the companies as “legitimate targets” amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Employees belonging to 18 organizations, including Microsoft, Google, and Meta, were directly advised to “protect their lives” by leaving the office sites.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused the companies of providing communications and surveillance tools to support US-Israeli military operations.
Which US firms face staff safety threat?
The statement, issued by the IRGC on March 31 and published on Telegram, named 18 US employers as targets.
Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Dell, Planter (Palantir Technologies), Nvidia, JP Morgan, Tesla, GE (General Electric), Spire Solutions, G42, and Boeing are the companies listed.
The IRGC warned that firms “should expect” attacks to commence from 8pm local time on April 1, and also urged all residents within a one-kilometre radius of the sites to leave the area.
At the time of publication, there have not been any confirmed attacks on facilities belonging to any of the 18 companies following the most recent threat.
Previously, on March 1, Iranian drone strikes hit three Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
IRGC’s statement alleged that technology and services provided by the companies have been linked to “espionage” activity.
None of the firms named in the publicly confirmed that their tools, systems, or services have been used during military operations.
US officials warned that action against American companies – or indeed, their personnel – would be met with a response, but offered no further detail on what such a response would be.
Geopolitical crisis creates issues for global employers
The direct warning to workers marks a further escalation in the safety risks plaguing multinational employers with a footprint in the Middle East.
Several of the companies listed have reportedly reviewed security measures for the staff based in the Middle East, but none have issued public statements in response to the threat of strikes on their facilities at the time of writing.
Although local labor laws across the Gulf do not include specific references to the current conflict, many countries specify a duty to provide a safe working environment and to protect employees from foreseeable risks.
Many organizations with a global footprint have already moved to evacuate non-essential staff from the Middle East, such as Exxon (not named in the IRGC’s statement), as they wade through a slew of operational challenges surrounding their workforce management in the region.
Others have advised staff to work from home rather than travelling to an office or site.
Employers taking such measures are presented with the challenge that if temporary arrangements stretch into the long-term, there may be tax implications and work authorization considerations to deal with.
Companies are making considerations for staff who live and work permanently in the region, as well as those based in the area temporarily, whether for business or personal travel.
Employers must also grapple with the need to support workers concerned about their own safety and security, and those concerned on behalf of other colleagues.
An additional challenge may also face those firms providing cloud services, data systems, and artificial intelligence infrastructure, where there are ties to government or military operations – in the form of backlash from staff.
In recent years, firms including Microsoft and Google have faced several employee-led protests over military contracts with the US and Israeli military forces involving their AI and Cloud technology.
