Iran threatens OpenAI’s Stargate data center in Abu Dhabi

The threat

It has been reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published a video this week that allegedly threatens OpenAI’s under‑construction Stargate data center in Abu Dhabi if the United States carries out attacks on Iranian power plants. The clip, posted to a state‑backed outlet’s X account, reportedly promises the “complete and utter annihilation” of US‑linked energy and technology firms in the region and flashes an image of OpenAI’s roughly $30 billion Abu Dhabi facility. The footage also appears to include satellite imagery and even misidentifies Cisco executive Jeetu Patel as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella — sloppy, but chilling. OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Why this matters

Stargate is not a small project. It has been reported that OpenAI’s broader Stargate effort involves some $500 billion in commitments and partners that include Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank. The Abu Dhabi site was described in an October 2025 update as “well underway,” with infrastructure planned to support massive compute — 16 gigawatts in the project’s scope and an initial 200 megawatts target for 2026. When a handful of companies control concentrated AI compute, those buildings start to look less like data centers and more like strategic assets. Cloud and compute are the new front lines; who would have thought?

Escalation risk

The threats come as tensions between Washington and Tehran have spiked — it has been reported that President Trump posted warnings on Truth Social about “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day,” and allegedly said on ABC News that the US might “blow up the entire country” if Iran doesn’t reach a deal. Iran’s Foreign Ministry replied that it will defend its security with “all might.” The result is a dangerous calculus: a threat to civilian energy infrastructure and, now, to third‑party tech projects hosted in neutral states. Will private-sector infrastructure be collateral, or a deliberate target? Observers will be watching how the UAE, OpenAI’s partners, and international diplomatic channels respond — because if compute can be weaponized, the implications go far beyond one data center.

Sources: theverge.com, Hacker News