US reportedly used Anthropic’s AI for its attack on Iran
President Trump ordered a halt to all federal use of Anthropic technology. The US conducted a major air attack on Iran using Anthropic AI tools hours after the order.
The ban highlights a conflict between immediate operational needs and policy decisions regarding AI vendors. The Department of Defense is moving to replace Anthropic with competitors despite the transition requiring months.
The order followed strong disagreements between the Department of Defense and the AI company. President Trump stated there is a six-month phase-out period for agencies like the Department of War.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the US military used Anthropic’s AI for the operation against Iran. The military previously used the company’s AI for the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
The Department of Defense has reached deals with xAI and OpenAI to use their models. Federal agencies are expected to eventually move away from using Claude.