Amazon's UAE data centre forced to cut power after being struck by 'objects creating sparks and fire'
One of Amazon’s cloud data centers in the United Arab Emirates was temporarily shut down after being struck by unidentified objects after Iran unleashed strikes on the country.
The company said the objects caused sparks and a fire and its AWS data center on Sunday (March 1).
The incident occurred at around 4.30 am PST and affected one of the company’s Availability Zones, known as mec1-az2.
According to the Amazon Web Service (AWS), emergency crews responded to the scene and the fire department cut power to the facility while they worked to extinguish the blaze.
Advert
The shutdown led to connectivity disruptions within the impacted zone, and AWS said it could take several hours to fully restore services there.
However, the company confirmed that other Availability Zones in the UAE region remain operational, limiting the broader impact on customers.
AWS describes an Availability Zone as one or more physical data centers grouped together but isolated from other zones within a region to reduce the risk of widespread disruption.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the region.
When Reuters asked whether the data center incident was connected to the ongoing strikes, AWS declined to confirm or deny any link.
Iran strikes: what you need to know
Why is the United States and Israel attacking Iran?
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday (28 February) that the US and Israel have started 'major combat operations' in Iran after explosions were heard in multiple cities across the country.
Following a significant buildup of US forces in the region in recent weeks, Trump declared in a video posted on Truth Social that 'we are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground'.
According to Trump, the aim of this weekend's attacks were to 'ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon'.
Meanwhile, in reference to Israel's retaliation strikes, the country's defence minister stated that the goal was to 'remove threats against the State of Israel'.
This has come after weeks of Trump threatening military action in Iran if the Middle Eastern country did not agree to a new deal over its nuclear programme. However, Iran has insisted repeatedly that its nuclear activities are 'entirely peaceful'.
What areas of the Middle East have been affected?
In retaliation to the US and Israeli strikes, Iran has launched strikes of its own on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, which include Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.
The BBC reports that at least nine people were killed in a strike on the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, while military and civilian targets (including an American naval base in Bahrain and Dubai's international airport in the United Arab Emirates) were also targeted across the weekend.
Several videos have been posted on social media from tourists and civilians that show the damage inflicted across these areas from missile and drone strikes, including many British citizens who are currently stranded in Dubai.
Topics: Amazon, Iran, US News, World News, Military
Ellie Kemp