Reports indicate the U.S. military wasstill running Anthropic’s AI models during strikes on Iran even after President Trump had formally ordered all federal agencies to stop using models developed by Anthropic.
Axios and the Wall Street Journal both flagged the contradiction, and it immediately raised a pointed question about whether advanced artificial intelligence models can realistically be pulled from active operations once they have been built into the infrastructure of modern warfare.
Journalists at both outlets reported that commanders relied on the technology throughout the large joint assault with Israel launched on Saturday. The Wall Street Journal reports that it was used to process battlefield intelligence, help evaluate potential targets, and run operational simulations before and during the strikes. This reportedly occurred after President Donald Trump ordered the military to cut all ties with Anthropic and its AI models.
Relations between the United States military and San Francisco-based AI company Anthropic soured earlier this year after the U.S. used Anthropic models to conduct a particularly controversial operation. Just three days into the year, American forces ran one of the most audacious offensives in recent times: sneaking into a foreign nation and capturing its leader, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
However, the military used Claude without the company’s authorization, prompting Anthropic to push back, citing internal policies that bar its technology from being used in armed conflict, weapons-related contexts, or surveillance operations. That confrontation opened a rift that grew steadily wider over the weeks that followed.
After Trump and senior military officials denounced Anthropic, the rift finally broke open entirely on Friday. Trump directed every federal department to cut off access to Claude with immediate effect, using Truth Social to publicly brand Anthropic as a far-left organization run by people disconnected from the real world.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth followed with a lengthy post on X, characterizing Anthropic’s behavior as both arrogant and a betrayal of national interests. He made it clear that the Pentagon expected unrestricted access to the company’s full AI lineup for any lawful military purpose, and that American warfighters would not be subject to conditions set by private technology companies.
Behind the combative posture, though, Hegseth quietly acknowledged the practical difficulty of removing AI models embedded into military systems. Such systems cannot untangle themselves from embedded AI tools overnight, he said, and Anthropic would be permitted to continue providing services for up to six months to allow an orderly transition.
OpenAI has moved quickly into the space left open by the split, with CEO Sam Altman confirming a new arrangement with the Pentagon that covers access to the company’s AI products across secure and classified systems.
Trailblazers like D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) in the tech field will be watching the goings-on between the Pentagon and AI firms to learn the nuances entailed in obtaining large government contracts.
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