Digital Infrastructure Emerges as Strategic Battleground in Iran Conflict

(MENAFN) Data networks have evolved from being a mere instrument of geopolitical rivalry to becoming a direct element of contemporary warfare as tensions intensify between the US, Israel, and Iran.

Gloria Shkurti Ozdemir, a scholar at the think tank SETA and a lecturer at Azerbaijan’s Khazar University, told a news agency that digital infrastructure is no longer simply a tool in geopolitical contests, as demonstrated by Tehran’s retaliatory strikes.

In response to joint military operations by the US and Israel, Iran targeted Amazon Web Services (AWS) installations in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ozdemir highlighted that historically, conflicts focused on economic and logistical assets of the industrial era, such as oil refineries and power stations, but the digital age has elevated data hubs and artificial intelligence (AI) to equally pivotal strategic roles.

“Large-scale data centers serve a similar function to air bases, naval bases, and logistics centers, as these structures today act as a kind of ‘digital base,’ expanding the US’ technological presence and integrating American firms into regional state capacity, while linking financial systems, public infrastructure and, in some cases, defense mechanisms to US-controlled digital infrastructure,” she explained.

“These facilities therefore represent strategic infrastructure, and when civilian systems, state databases and sensitive operational processes depend on them, the infrastructure effectively becomes dual-use — historically, such infrastructure has often been considered legitimate targets in warfare,” she added.

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