Why Iran targeted Amazon data centers and what that does – and doesn’t – change about warfare

Commercial data centers have become critical infrastructure, supporting everything from financial transactions to government services. And critical infrastructure is often targeted in war.

By: Dennis Murphy, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 1, 2026

Words: 1,190

Last Updated: 3 months, 4 weeks ago

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By Dennis Murphy, Georgia Institute of Technology

Before dawn on March 1, 2026, Iranian Shahed drones struck two Amazon Web Services data centers in the United Arab Emirates. A third commercial data center in Bahrain was hit, though it is less clear whether it was deliberately targeted. This is the first time that a country has deliberately targeted commercial data centers during wartime.

Iran state media issued a statement on March 31 that it …

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