Amazon Admits Data Loss After Iranian Attacks on Cloud Facilities

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has officially announced its inability to recover data from its cloud computing facility in Bahrain and one of three data storage zones in the United Arab Emirates. This significant announcement, revealed in a status update to clients and reported by Reuters, follows severe damage to these facilities during Iranian drone and missile attacks last spring. AWS stated that the damage to its infrastructure spanned multiple availability zones and exceeded the capacity of its regional and multi-regional backup services. Consequently, data and resources stored exclusively in these affected locations, without prior backups elsewhere, may be permanently lost.

The company confirmed it has assisted affected customers in re-establishing operations in other regions using available backups but has exhausted all recovery options for the damaged data. The disruptions began in March when AWS facilities in the Persian Gulf were targeted in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes. These attacks involved direct drone strikes causing fires, infrastructure collapse, and widespread disruption to local banking operations. The incidents raise critical questions about the resilience of cloud infrastructure and developing artificial intelligence in the Gulf region.

In response to the attacks, the UAE has begun re-evaluating plans for massive data center projects, considering alternatives such as facility decentralization and the construction of blast-proof underground infrastructure. AWS indicated it will continue rebuilding the damaged infrastructure in the UAE and provide a further update on its Bahrain facilities by early 2027.