Iran on Saturday opened a new front in this war by putting U.S. tech operations in the region under direct threat. Missile and drone attacks kept moving across the Middle East, and the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted dozens of incoming threats in the past 24 hours.
In Dubai, debris from one interception hit the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City. The Dubai Media Office said authorities dealt with a minor incident after debris fell on the facade of the building. It also said no one was injured.
The damage was limited, but Iran was still firing projectiles across the region as retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes, and American corporate sites were no longer sitting outside the blast zone.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had threatened a wider group of U.S. tech companies operating across the Middle East, including Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Google.
Iran expands the battlefield as U.S. aircraft losses and search missions grow
Meanwhile, the U.S. military kept searching for a missing American airman after an F-15E was shot down over southwestern Iran on Friday. One crew member was rescued. The second was still missing. Both U.S. and Iranian forces were searching the area.
Iran and the United States both confirmed that Tehran downed the two-seat jet. In a separate incident, two U.S. officials said the pilot of an A-10 Warthog ejected after the aircraft crashed in Kuwait when it was hit by Iranian fire.
The rescue effort then ran into more trouble. Two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search for the missing crew member came under Iranian fire inside Iran, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters. The helicopters still made it out of Iranian airspace.
In Washington, officials were worried that the missing airman could be captured and used by Tehran as leverage. The downing of the F-15E was also a milestone in the war. It was the first time Iranian forces had successfully brought down a U.S. combat aircraft since the conflict began.
Donald Trump added more heat on Saturday with a Truth Social post. He wrote:
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
India resumes Iranian oil buying while strikes hit Bushehr and nuclear risks rise
India’s oil ministry said Indian refiners bought Iranian crude as the Middle East conflict disrupted supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
India is the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer. It had not received a cargo from Tehran since May 2019, after U.S. pressure pushed buyers away from Iranian crude.
Now that pressure has eased. Last month, the United States temporarily removed sanctions on Iranian oil and refined products to reduce supply shortages.
The ministry said on X:
“Amid Middle East supply disruptions, Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements, including from Iran; and there is no payment hurdle for Iranian crude imports.”
It also said India had secured full crude requirements for the coming months and added:
“India imports crude oil from 40-plus countries, with companies having full flexibility to source oil from different sources and geographies based on commercial considerations.”
India also bought 44,000 metric tons of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas carried on a sanctioned vessel. The ministry said the vessel berthed at Mangalore on Wednesday and was unloading the fuel.
Near Bushehr, a projectile struck close to Iran’s nuclear power plant overnight, killing at least one worker and damaging part of the site, Iranian authorities said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation levels had not risen, but warned about the danger of attacks near nuclear facilities.
Foreign Minister Araghchi said repeated strikes there could trigger a wider regional disaster. He also said Tehran was not ready to rush into talks, and that any negotiations must deliver a “conclusive and lasting” end to the war.
Russian state nuclear company Rosatom evacuated another 198 staff from Bushehr, according to Russian news agencies. It has been pulling workers out since the war began at the end of February.
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Source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/iran-begins-striking-us-big-tech-companies/
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