Iran Designates Elon Musk’s Middle East SpaceX Operations as Military Targets

 

“Iranian state media announced Thursday that all of Elon Musk’s business operations in the Middle East including SpaceX will be considered military targets as part of Iran’s ongoing retaliation against the United States.

 

CNBC reports that Iranian state media outlet Fars reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran will treat all of Elon Musk’s companies operating in the Middle East region as legitimate military targets. The announcement specifically identifies SpaceX’s Starlink internet service infrastructure, including a regional Starlink ground station, as among the targets being considered.

 

According to a translated post on Fars’ Telegram page, Iran is targeting all interests related to economic holdings managed by Elon Musk in West Asia. The announcement represents a significant escalation in Iran’s rhetoric toward American business interests in the region.

 

The Iranian state media report cited the role that Starlink has played in supporting U.S. military operations against Iran. According to the report, the satellite internet service has been instrumental in supporting various high-tech military equipment, including aerial attack drones and unmanned surveillance and strike vessels used in operations targeting Iranian interests.

 

Fars quoted an informed source who stated that Iran asserts the United States has committed war crimes against it with the support of Musk-related companies. “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to attack all facilities related to [Musk]-managed holdings in the region and occupied territories,” the source said.

 

This is not the first time Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened major American technology companies. The organization has previously issued warnings against other prominent U.S. tech firms, including Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Google.

 

The threats against Musk’s holdings comes just a day before the SpaceX IPO. Breitbart news has reported that Musk is pushing his vision of AI data centers in space to justify the company’s high valuation:

 

    Musk described the current design as a draft iteration of what will become the operational version. He noted that the satellite is considerably less complex than SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, which the company has been deploying since 2019. Much of the technology draws from systems already developed for the satellite internet service.

 

    “We don’t think this is a super hard problem, compared to things we already do,” said Musk.”