Iran18 August, 20263 min read
IRGC Drone Strikes Hit Amazon Web Services Data Centers in United Arab Emirates and Bahrain
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More than 750 US service members wounded since the Iran war began, per DoD data. Pentagon added over 50 new wounded in the latest casualty database update.
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Epic Fury and AI warfighting
The United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on 28 February 2026, with the opening salvo described as striking over 1,000 targets on the first day alone and using AI-assisted targeting systems that compressed decision-making into minutes. The Manara Magazine account says that three days after Operation Epic Fury began, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched drone strikes against Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, causing service outages across the region and disrupting banking, consumer services, and enterprise software. It adds that Iranian media published a list of 30 ‘Enemy Technology Infrastructure’ targets across the Gulf region that included facilities operated by AWS, Microsoft, Google, IBM, Palantir, Nvidia, and Oracle.
The same source ties the conflict to energy and semiconductor bottlenecks, saying the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed and that global data centres consumed around 448 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity by the end of 2025. Manara Magazine also argues that helium shortages followed attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial hub in March 2026, saying prices doubled and that advanced semiconductor chips are essential to AI.
Casualty accounting disputes
In Queens, the Queens Daily Eagle reported that the federal government had not explained why Queens soldier Staff Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampersad and three other troops were removed from the official list of Iran War casualties, after a Queens lawmaker set a deadline for answers. The paper said Pentagon explanations shifted, first citing a software issue that put Rampersad, Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, Private Isabella Gonzales and Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton under a list of overseas casualties separate from the conflict in Iran, and later saying the change was made because the four soldiers died when a ceasefire was in effect. The Eagle quoted Queens Congressmember Greg Meeks writing, “The omission of the deceased service members' names raises rightful concerns about transparency and an accurate depiction of the human cost of the Iran war,” while also noting that as of Monday afternoon the four names had not been restored to the list connected with Operation Epic Fury.
Separately, CNN reported that the Pentagon updated its war casualty database on Wednesday, recording that when totals for “Operations Abroad” and Epic Fury are combined, 18 service members have died and 757 have been wounded since the United States began the war against Iran on February 28. CNN also said the Pentagon created the DCAS category “Operations Abroad” last month to account for military dead and wounded “as of July 7,” and that it had not yet provided details clarifying which conflict those casualties occurred.
Wounds, negotiations, and flashpoints
CNN en Español reported that more than 750 U.S. military personnel have been wounded since the start of the war with Iran, citing the Department of Defense’s combat casualties database and a Wednesday update that added more than 50 wounded service members. It said discussions between the Iranian and U.S. governments to end the conflict remain stalled, while also noting that the Pentagon updated the database using DCAS categories “Operations Abroad” and Epic Fury and that 18 service members have died and 757 have been wounded since February 28. CNN added that July 7 coincides with the day the Trump administration notified Congress under the War Powers Act that it had begun a new conflict with Iran, and that the Strait of Hormuz continues to be one of the war’s main flashpoints.
In the Manara Magazine account, the Strait of Hormuz was described as effectively closed, with the source saying more than 20 percent of the global energy supply transits through the strait and that the closure impacted operating expenses of data centres. Manara Magazine further warns that the security of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing hub of semiconductors—Taiwan—could be more consequential, saying Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) manufactures more than 90 percent of the most advanced chips.