Anthropic report: Claude used for missile dev and influence ops in Middle East
Anthropic has released an intelligence report detailing how its Claude AI model was exploited by state and non-state actors across the Middle East between December 2025 and August 2026. The findings reveal that a cell in northern Yemen utilized Claude to develop guidance, navigation, and control software for ballistic missiles, including a multi-stage system with a range goal exceeding 2,000…
Key points
- Yemeni actors used Claude to design missile guidance software, though a test-fire reportedly failed.
- Iranian entities used the model to create targeting handbooks for US Navy ships and run propaganda.
- UAE officials allegedly used Claude to manage an influence operation with 300 fake social media accounts.
Beyond weapons development, the report highlights extensive malicious use in Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Iranian-linked actors used the model to compile targeting handbooks on US Navy vessels and execute propaganda campaigns through state-aligned institutions. Meanwhile, UAE officials allegedly deployed Claude to run a large-scale influence operation involving 300 fake social media accounts, targeting the Muslim Brotherhood and countering criticism of Abu Dhabi’s role in the Sudan conflict.
Anthropic stated that it banned the suspicious accounts and shared threat intelligence with government partners. The report underscores the growing risk of commercial AI models being integrated into active military and covert influence programs, particularly against the backdrop of the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict.
The story so far
9 episodes →- Anthropic report: Claude used for missile dev and influence ops in Middle Eastthis story
Claude AI used for missile, influence projects in UAE, Iran, Yemen: Anthropic
al-monitor.com · 11 September 2026
Loading the full article…
This text was published by al-monitor.com and written by Jack Dutton. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
Coverage and discussion
46sources- Hacker News discussion · 55 pointsnews.ycombinator.com
- Hacker News discussion · 5 pointsnews.ycombinator.com
- AI makes it "easier than ever" for adversaries to target U.S. military, experts sayPress · cbsnews.com ·
- Russian team ‘misused’ Claude AI to train a killer drone on scraped Ukrainian war footagePress · theconversation.com ·
- Claude AI used for weapons, cyber ops, surveillance, fraud in China and beyond: AnthropicPress · cnbctv18.com ·
- Iranian Operatives Using AI to Target Jews, Israelis, Anthropic Report SaysPress · algemeiner.com ·
- Chinese state-linked actors used AI assistant Claude to target dissidents, religious groupsPress · tribuneindia.com ·
- Houthis Used Claude Code to Develop Missile Guidance Software: AnthropicPress · clashreport.com ·
- Chinese military researchers and tech giants caught using Claude — US frontier model, coded 16 air-defense suppression tools targeting Taiwan, drafted anti-torpedo specs, and fed 151 million training queries to AlibabaPress · Tom's Hardware ·
- Anthropic CONFIRMS Claude AI Used by Yemeni Houthi to Build Missile Program Links To Iran OperationPress · oneindia.com ·
- Iran and Houthi rebels used Anthropic's Claude AI to target US warships and build hypersonic missiles — Houthi rebels also used the bot to code ballistic missile guidance systemsPress · Tom's Hardware ·
- Anthropic says Iran-linked group used Claude to track U.S. Navy shipsPress · interestingengineering.com ·
- Anthropic reports Russian developers used AI for kamikaze drone softwarePress · cryptobriefing.com ·
- Anthropic report: 5 ways Claude was exploited for war, spying and repressionPress · yahoo.com ·
- Did Yemen’s Houthis use Anthropic’s Claude AI To design Missiles?Press · newsx.com ·
- Anthropic says Iran, Russia used Claude for weapons research, including missile systems and kamikaze drone projectsPress · livemint.com ·
- Anthropic neutralizes global AI misuse threats across cyber and espionage domainsPress · adgully.com ·
- Anthropic report details disruption of bioweapons research, cyber espionage on ClaudePress · staradvertiser.com ·
- Anthropic reveals AI used to test missiles, conduct dangerous biological research in threat reportPress · justthenews.com ·
- The Guardian view on controlling AI: humanity cannot outsource its survivalPress · The Guardian AI ·
- How hackers used Claude for missiles, drone swarms, and surveillance, while Chinese labs mined it for training dataPress · The Decoder ·
- Iran Used Claude AI Model to Target US Navy Warships: Anthropic ReportPress · ntd.com ·
- Anthropic says it blocked state-sponsored attempts to use Claude for bioweapons researchPress · techspot.com ·
- Weapons, spyware and AI scams: Anthropic exposes Claude misusePress · al-monitor.com ·
- Factbox-How Anthropic says Claude was used for weapons, spying and cyber operationsPress · aol.com ·
- Users in Houthi-held Yemen tried to develop advanced weapons with AI, Anthropic saysPress · dailynews.com ·
- Claude used in dangerous biological research as AI threats move into the real worldPress · ynetnews.com ·
- Anthropic says Claude thwarted bioweapon research from state-sponsored actors — covert accounts used U.S. proxies to attempt to engineer deadlier viruses, tried to evade identification and regional blocksPress · Tom's Hardware ·
- Anthropic report reveals how AI was misused in missile developmentPress · thenews.com.pk ·
- Houthis used AI platform Claude to develop ballistic missilesPress · middleeasteye.net ·
- Claude Used to Automate Exploitation and Data Theft Across Multiple VictimsPress · thehackernews.com ·
- Iran used Anthropic's Claude AI to target U.S. Navy warshipsPress · yahoo.com ·
- Anthropic Reveals Houthi Rebels Used Their AI to Design Missiles Days After Its Safety Lead Warned AI “Could Kill All Humans”Press · 247wallst.com ·
- Russia is weaponizing US-built AI to make killer drones, cyberattack bots, and fake newsPress · defenseone.com ·
- How A Yemen-Based Houthi Weapons Cell Used Claude To Develop Missile Software?Press · outlookindia.com ·
- Anthropic details bad actors’ efforts to misuse its AI for bioweaponsPress · The Guardian AI ·
- UAE campaign used AI Claude to target Muslim Brotherhood and SudanPress · middleeasteye.net ·
- Anthropic Details Disrupted Claude Misuse Across Seven Harm AreasPress · Unite.AI ·
- Iran Used Claude AI Model to Target US Navy Warships: Anthropic ReportPress · theepochtimes.com ·
- Scientists tried to use Claude AI to make bioweaponsPress · aol.com ·
- Anthropic says it disrupted scientists using Claude AI for possible biological weapons developmentPress · cbsnews.com ·
The headline, key points and digest above were generated by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources. Automated summaries can contain errors: the sources are the record. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Published by Martin K., who runs Digest AI and handles corrections.
More in Policy & Regulation
All →- OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic back shared robots.txt opt-out for AI training · 11 src
- Amazon Japan adds agent policy to seller terms · 1 src
- Microsoft warns North Korean hackers use AI to scale phishing and malware · 2 src
- Amazon memo calls AI usage metrics flawed but keeps internal tracking · 1 src
- Accenture employee's personal Claude AI agent accessed Pentagon network for two months · 3 src
Comments
via GitHub Discussions