Claude AI, the Iran Strikes, and the Battle Over Who Controls Artificial Intelligence in Warfare
On February 28, 2026, two events unfolded simultaneously that will likely shape the future of artificial intelligence, military strategy, and technology ethics for years to come. The United States and Israel launched major military strikes against Iran, hitting targets across 24 of the country's 31 provinces. And in Washington, President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to immediately cease using the AI tools of Anthropic, the San Francisco-based company behind the Claude family of large language models. What made the situation extraordinary was not either event on its own, but the fact that the US military continued using Claude during the Iran operation for hours after the ban was declared. According to reporting by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed by multiple outlets including Axios and Cybernews, US Central Command in the Middle East deployed Anthropic's Claude AI for intelligence assessments, target identification, and the simulation of combat scenarios duri...