Trump mocks Iran's threat to strike American companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google: "BB guns?"

Mocking the Iranian threat to US companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google, former President Donald Trump on Tuesday wondered what the Iranians could possibly threaten the tech giants with—"BB guns?"

Iran's elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced on Tuesday that it would target American companies—not just those working on military bases—in the West Asia/Gulf region starting April 1 if more Iranian leaders were killed in "targeted assassinations."

The 18 companies listed in the IRGC's threat included Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, Boeing, and others.

During an exchange with reporters at the White House, Trump, appearing bemused, interrupted as a reporter repeated the question: "You made a statement. What did they threaten them with? I don't know. Tell me. How did they threaten them?"

The reporter replied that all he knew was that Iran had threatened the companies. Trump responded with his now-viral "BB guns" remark: "What does that mean? Did they say something nasty?"

When asked if he was "helping to back stop" Iran, Trump, seemingly annoyed, said, "You don't even know what the threat was. What was the threat? I haven't heard it. Did they say they're going to blow them up? You know what—they're not going to do it. They are not going to hit them with a nuclear weapon."

Trump's comments appear linked to the offensive launched against Iran on February 28, in collaboration with Israel, to halt the country's alleged nuclear ambitions. The joint strikes triggered retaliatory actions by Iran, which continue to disrupt the Gulf region and beyond with missile and drone attacks.

Iran's IRGC statement warned that American companies "should expect the destruction of their respective units in exchange for each terror act in Iran, starting from 8 pm Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1" (4:30 pm GMT/UTC, 10:30 pm IST). "We advise the employees of these institutions to immediately leave their workplaces to preserve their lives," the statement added.

Companies on the IRGC hit list included Dell Technologies, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard (HP), Cisco, Intel, Oracle, Apple, Meta Platforms (owner of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram), IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Tesla, General Electric, and Boeing. Microsoft and Apple, for example, maintain corporate offices and significant retail operations in the United Arab Emirates, primarily in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.