One boat carrying 66 people was located 10 nautical miles south of Gran Canaria, Spain's Red Cross said
The agency quoted Iran's foreign ministry as saying the companies had "flagrantly violated human rights" and cooperated with Israel against the Palestinians.
It was not immediately clear if any of the companies, which included defense technology firm Raytheon, had any dealings with Iran or whether they would be affected in any way by Tehran's action, which IRNA said would include seizure of their assets and a ban on contacts with them.
The Iranian move came two days after the United States imposed sanctions on 30 foreign companies or individuals for transferring sensitive technology to Iran for its missile program, or for violating export controls on Iran, North Korea and Syria.