Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 18, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Iranian official urges against AI warfare, says new ‘Persian Gulf Data Authority’ is coming
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that a new “Persian Gulf Data Authority” is on its way, hinting that it will be part of an effort to target data centers across the region.
“To governments, funds, and firms in the region: you are kindly advised to give no resources to any AI or data company aiding invasions or killing children,” he writes on X. “No finance, equity, land and energy.”
“Assist them and face our enforcement,” he threatens.
The post comes days after Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei threatened that undersea cables, data centers and other AI infrastructure could be targeted if the US or Israel strike Iran again.
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