Live data from Hacker News

Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

thehill.com

61–70 of 95 posts

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Iran always seems like they have more enemies than friends Because the core of the Iranian Revolution is quite similar to Maoism [0] but also very interested in exporting the revolution abroad. You have to remember that the Iranian Revolution only happened in 1979, and most of Iran's modern leadership were foot soldiers and even leadership during Iran's Cultural Revolution [1] in the 1980s (eg. Rouhani, Larijani, A…

I took a Chinese course in Beijing with the son of an Iranian diplomat as a classmate and we did not gel, but frankly thats my only experience. The funny thing was that the guy was a huge womanizer/drinker, which I also hear is normal for Iran. Iranians actually seem quite liberal by Muslim standards (if it wasn't for the whole revolutionary guard/cleric leadership, again by my limited maybe outdated experience), whi…

> son of an Iranian diplomat as a classmate and we did not gel, but frankly thats my only experience. The funny thing was that the guy was a huge womanizer/drinker, which I also hear is normal for Iran

It's similar to China in that regard - rhetoric doesn't matter and you always look out for number one.

There's a reason why socially speaking China's Harvard remains Harvard even despite Peking and Tsinghua becoming global tier institutions, and why leadership who should supposedly be earning a couple thousand dollars a year are chauffeured in Audi A8s with full protocol in Beijing.

Most normal people are chill and average, but there's still a whole separate world of people within a small selectorate.

> which is weird when our side has the KSA, one of the most conservative countries on earth

KSA has socially liberalized as well, and the same style of hijab as you would see in Iran is the norm.

That said, unlike Iran's incumbent leadership, MBS and much of the governmental apparatus is highly likely to liberalize in the UAE manner in the next 3-5 years. The main blocker has been succession - MBS isn't officially king yet, as King Salman continues to reign.

That said, it would still remain an authoritarian state.

> It is a pity really, Iran is on my bucket list for food, culture, and natural beauty. More so than any other country in that area, its too bad about the whole "death to America" thing

Yep. It is what it is.

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is, if we accept the norms that Qatar can be targeted for kinetic action by Iran for hosting US assets or by the US for hosting Iranian assets, then that opens a MASSIVE can of worms. This means Ukraine has the precedent in place to target the Chongqing–Xinjiang–Europe railway in Russia in retaliation for Chinese support of Russia [0]. This also means all of Europe is fair game to be striked by Russia in re…

There is no can of worms. Hosting US assets actively being used in war vs Iran = being active co-belligerents. Host countries no longer neutral when they don't adhere to duty of abstention (Hague Convention V). This not even Iran using deniable proxies, this is Qatar allowing sovereign territory to facilitate attack on Iran, which unambiguously makes them legitimate target. Ditto with Diego Garcia. In the same way ra…

The norms of compartmentalization I have mentioned are orthogonal to The Hague conventions and frankly they do not matter in a world which has de facto moved away from being rules based.

Additonally, by that logic it is acceptable for Ukraine to conduct kinetic action against Chinese assets in Russia, which they have held back against despite Chinese support for the Russian MIC.

Also, I told you years ago to not chat with me on this platform. We do not align and I have found it tiresome discussing with you. I have ignored and steered away from commenting with you and I ask you to do the same for me.

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no can of worms. Hosting US assets actively being used in war vs Iran = being active co-belligerents. Host countries no longer neutral when they don't adhere to duty of abstention (Hague Convention V). This not even Iran using deniable proxies, this is Qatar allowing sovereign territory to facilitate attack on Iran, which unambiguously makes them legitimate target. Ditto with Diego Garcia. In the same way ra…

The norms of compartmentalization I have mentioned are orthogonal to The Hague conventions and frankly they do not matter in a world which has de facto moved away from being rules based. Additonally, by that logic it is acceptable for Ukraine to conduct kinetic action against Chinese assets in Russia, which they have held back against despite Chinese support for the Russian MIC. Also, I told you years ago to not chat…

> it is acceptable

It's acceptable, as I said, targets in RU soil legitimate. Of course the UKR has their own calculation on what PRC interests in RU they're able to hit that's not counterproductive - PRC support for RU MIC can be much more than what it is.

Even if we accept moving from "rule based" doesn't discount realist/rational based which rule based is derived from. It is not hard to understand allowing your house to be used to shoot at someone else = your house is now legitimate target. Expecting immunity under those conditions is strategic fantasy, especially when IR hitting GCC countries is arguably not counter-productive.

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#64
post #4

The problem with accepting military work is that foreign governments will now consider you a legitimate military target.

> foreign governments will now consider you a legitimate military target Iran has been very liberal with what it considers military targets. There is no evidence rejecting military work has protected anyone from it.

Iran has been very patient with not striking American assets in surrounding countries in 2025. Their responses against an unprecedented assault on them were very limited.

That patience earned them another, bigger attack against them in 2026.

If Israel were attacked two years back to back like that, with the second attack killing its prime minister, it would have burned every belligerent country around it to ash without any consideration for whom they are killing, and the world wouldn't bat an eye.

In fact, they did just that in response to a much smaller attack, and the world didn't bat an eye. A quarter million dead and counting, many of the killings being straight-up, no ambiguity war crimes. Strange how they get to inflict disproportionate violence in retaliation with no consequences.

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're defending themselves. If you don't want this, tell your government to put an end to the war

Lashing out against basically everyone is not "defending themselves" When my house gets vandalized by this neighborhood rascal, I don't defend myself by throwing rocks at my entire neighborhood

Boo woo, why should not expect to be bombed back when you're at war with someone?

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're defending themselves. If you don't want this, tell your government to put an end to the war

Lashing out against basically everyone is not "defending themselves" When my house gets vandalized by this neighborhood rascal, I don't defend myself by throwing rocks at my entire neighborhood

It's so funny to me that you compare a decapitation strike with the stated aim of regime change to vandalism; I'd compare the actions taken to Iran in 2025 to vandalism over this.

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#68

> The statement named Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Dell, Palantir, Nvidia, JP Morgan, Tesla, GE, Spire Solution, G42 and Boeing https://www.intellinews.com/irgc-threatens-to-strike-us-tech...

> G42 G42 isn't American - it's Emirati. But it doesn't matter. Iran is only burning additional bridges with it's neighbors which has only incentivized them to take a much more hardline stance against the Islamic Republic. The fact that they alienated Qatar last week is truly mindboggling though - it was QatarEnergy that was subsidizing NOIC and Qataris with clan ties in Iran like Saad al Kaabi who were some of the b…

> Iran is only burning additional bridges with it's neighbors..

If you are permitting your airspace to carry out continual bombing campaigns causing massive casualties and also host enemy bases, then the "bridges" have already been burnt and you are a belligerent in the War.

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I realize Qatar is in an "it's complicated" relationship, it's just amusing to me that people feign shock that Iran would consider them fair game while omitting the detail of them kinda being a client state hosting a huge US military base.

The thing is, if we accept the norms that Qatar can be targeted for kinetic action by Iran for hosting US assets or by the US for hosting Iranian assets, then that opens a MASSIVE can of worms. This means Ukraine has the precedent in place to target the Chongqing–Xinjiang–Europe railway in Russia in retaliation for Chinese support of Russia [0]. This also means all of Europe is fair game to be striked by Russia in re…

> The thing is, if we accept the norms that Qatar can be targeted for kinetic action by Iran for hosting US assets or by the US for hosting Iranian assets, then that opens a MASSIVE can of worms.

None of your examples are actually analogous, they are all more distant support than hosting a base from which direct attacks are carried out except for the first one in which the "can of worms" is justifying attacks on a state that it is already a direct belligerent (and in fact the aggressor) because of third-party support, which, on the other hand, is not analogous for the opposite reason—it is very much not necessary to invoke any third-party action to justify that. The direct belligerence already justifies that.

Re: Iran says it will target US tech companies in Middle East

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The iranian government/IRGC isn't innocent but remember that its the regular people, the working class of Iran that is actually suffering further because of hostilities initiated by US/Israel

> remember that its the regular people, the working class of Iran that is actually suffering further because of hostilities initiated by US/Israel This is true of any war. That’s damning for the party that starts a war of choice. But it’s no vindication for the regime that’s built itself up as a regional pest, including sponsor of actual terrorism against ordinary people, for years.

You realise that no vindication for the regime that’s built itself up as a regional pest, including sponsor of actual terrorism against ordinary people, for years. is a valid descriptor of the US as well?
Post reply on HN