A video released by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps suggests it will target OpenAI’s planned data center if the US attacks its power plants. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has published a video threatening OpenAI’s planned Abu Dhabi data center if the US follows through on threats to attack the country’s power plants, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. The video, published to an Iranian state-backed news outlet’s X account on April 3rd, claims the IRGC will “completely and utterly annihilate” US-linked energy and technology companies in the region, featuring an image of OpenAI’s $30 billion Stargate facility in the United Arab Emirates.
The overarching $500 billion Stargate project from OpenAI includes investments from Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank. It’s unclear how much of the Abu Dhabi data center is completed, though an October 2025 update showed early stages of construction for facilities intended to house 16 gigawatts of compute power. This update stated construction was “well underway” and would meet a 2026 target of deploying 200 megawatts. OpenAI did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
The IRGC’s video also features what seems to be satellite imagery of OpenAI’s UAE data center from Google Maps and includes photos of executives backing the project, mistakenly identifying Cisco’s Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Truth Social, stating that Tuesday will be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day” if the country doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also told ABC News that the US plans on “blowing up the entire country” if Iran doesn’t reach a deal with the US. Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded to Trump’s threats, stating it is “determined to defend our national security and sovereignty with all might.”