The Ten Rings was a terrorist organization in the Middle-East. Stark Industries' second in command, Obadiah Stane sold them weapons illegally to help them achieve their goals, and later made a deal with them: they would kidnap Stark Industries' CEO Tony Stark, force him to create a Jericho missile and them kill him, allowing Obadiah to take over the control of Stark Industries. When the experimental ship created by Justin Hammer for the U.S. Army crashed in Congo, soldiers of the Ten Rings-flagged Congolese Army tried to execute the pilot, only to be stopped by Iron Man.