US Central Command Uses Anthropic's Claude in Strike on Iran Hours After President Trump Ban

US Central Command reportedly used Anthropic’s Claude AI to support a major air operation targeting Iran.

“Just hours after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using artificial intelligence tools developed by Anthropic, US forces in the Middle East relied on the company’s Claude system during a major air operation targeting Iran, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal”

The Times of India

The AI reportedly provided intelligence assessments, target identification and simulated battle planning.

The Times of India

These actions occurred just hours after President Trump issued an order for federal agencies to stop using Anthropic tools.

The deployment highlighted a sharp contradiction between White House public policy and military practice.

The administration, following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's labeling of Anthropic as a "supply-chain risk," moved to restrict the company even as the Pentagon continued to rely on Claude in operational settings.

The Times of India

Anthropic resisted granting the Pentagon blanket permission to use Claude for "all lawful purposes."

“Just hours after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using artificial intelligence tools developed by Anthropic, US forces in the Middle East relied on the company’s Claude system during a major air operation targeting Iran, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal”

The Times of India

The company drew explicit red lines against domestic mass surveillance and autonomous lethal weapons.

CEO Dario Amodei said the company could not accede to the Pentagon's request, while the White House framed the standoff as a refusal by a 'woke' company to follow military preferences.

Operationally, Claude is deeply integrated via partnerships with analytics contractors such as Palantir.

Disentangling it from classified workflows will be technically and logistically difficult and could take months despite a six-month phaseout deadline.

The Times of India

The reporting also noted Claude’s reported role in other covert operations, including an operation involving Maduro.

Following the declaration and the operational reliance on Claude, rival firms moved quickly to fill gaps.

“Just hours after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using artificial intelligence tools developed by Anthropic, US forces in the Middle East relied on the company’s Claude system during a major air operation targeting Iran, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal”

The Times of India