Amazon Data Center in UAE Reports Fire as Iran-Israel War Escalates

New Delhi: Amazon’s cloud division, AWS, confirmed that one of its data centers in the United Arab Emirates was temporarily shut down after being struck by unidentified objects during Iran’s retaliatory attacks in the Gulf. The incident triggered sparks and a fire, forcing engineers to cut power to the facility. 

The UAE has been one of several Gulf states hit by Iranian missile and drone strikes, launched in response to US and Israeli military operations against Iran. The strikes targeted airports, ports, and residential areas in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Qatar, leaving dozens injured and causing widespread disruption. Local authorities reported at least 15 casualties across the UAE, including civilians near Dubai International Airport, though no fatalities were confirmed at the AWS site itself. 

AWS said the fire was contained and partial recovery has begun, but connectivity issues persist. Customers were advised to switch to alternate regions while investigations continue. The company has not confirmed whether the Bahrain data center outage, reported on the same day, was directly linked to Iranian strikes. 

Iran’s strikes followed coordinated US and Israeli operations aimed at crippling Tehran’s nuclear program. In retaliation, Iran expanded its attacks to Gulf states hosting Western military assets. Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE all reported damage to civilian infrastructure, with emergency services stretched thin. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has separately warned of risks to nuclear facilities in Iran, raising fears of a possible radiation leak. Meanwhile, businesses across the Gulf are bracing for further disruptions as the conflict threatens both physical and cyber infrastructure. 

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