Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of Amazon, reported connectivity disruptions at its data centers in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on Monday, as the Gulf region faces heightened instability following Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes in response to recent U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The UAE has been grappling with the fallout from Iranian strikes that have reportedly targeted airports, ports, and residential areas across parts of the wider Gulf region. Amid these developments, AWS confirmed that one of its Availability Zones in the UAE was impacted after “objects” struck the data center, leading to sparks and a fire at the facility.
In a statement, AWS said: “At around 4:30 AM PST, one of our Availability Zones (mec1-az2) was impacted by objects that struck the data center, creating sparks and fire.” According to AWS, an Availability Zone consists of one or more interconnected physical data centers within a specific region, designed to operate as isolated yet redundant infrastructure units.
The company noted that the fire department cut power to the affected facility while emergency crews worked to extinguish the blaze. As of Monday, the impacted zone remained without power, and AWS indicated that it could take several hours to restore full connectivity. Other Availability Zones within the UAE region were reported to be functioning normally.
AWS stated that while some recovery had begun in the UAE region, customers were advised to temporarily route workloads through alternate AWS regions as the company investigates “additional connectivity issues and error rates.” When asked earlier whether the incident was directly connected to the Iranian strikes, Amazon did not confirm or deny any link.
In addition to the UAE disruption, AWS acknowledged connectivity issues at its Bahrain data center but did not specify the cause. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further comment regarding the Bahrain incident.
The situation underscores the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure during periods of geopolitical conflict. Data centers serve as foundational infrastructure for businesses, governments, and online services across the globe, and disruptions can have cascading effects on cloud-dependent operations.
While AWS has not explicitly tied the data center incident to the broader regional hostilities, the timing coincides with increased military activity and retaliatory actions across the Gulf. The company continues to monitor the situation and has indicated that it is working to restore full service in the affected UAE Availability Zone as quickly as possible.
