Iran’s data centre attacks in the Gulf are strikes on confidence

South China Morning PostEN 2 min read 100% complete by Islam AlhalawanyMarch 11, 2026 at 01:30 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Recent Iranian attacks in the Gulf have expanded beyond traditional oil and gas infrastructure to include data centers, signaling a shift in targeting strategic assets. On March 1st, drone attacks damaged three Amazon Web Services data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. These attacks suggest a deliberate effort to undermine the Gulf's post-oil future, particularly its ambitions in artificial intelligence. The region's AI investments, supported by partnerships and cloud providers, rely on cheap and reliable power, which is now threatened. This new focus on data centers poses a risk to the Gulf's economic diversification efforts.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

United States ×230% Abu Dhabi 40% Dubai 40% Bahrain 50% United Arab Emirates ×260% Amazon Web Services 70% Gulf ×680% Iran ×490%

Keywords

data centre attacks 90% gulf region 80% iranian attacks 80% post-oil future 70% strategic infrastructure 70% artificial intelligence 60% geopolitical risk 50% energy markets 50% amazon web services 40%