Iran-linked groups used Claude to target US Navy, run propaganda: Report

Iranian state-aligned and Iran-linked groups used Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence platform to run propaganda campaigns, conduct domestic surveillance and develop targeting recommendations against US naval forces, according to a threat report released by the company.Anthropic said it disrupted malicious activity involving Claude between December 2025 and August 2026, covering cyber operations, influence campaigns and surveillance. The company said several Iranian-linked accounts had used the AI model to automate or support activities ranging from producing state propaganda to analysing social media users and gathering information on US military positions.The findings come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, including attacks involving US and Iranian forces around the Strait of Hormuz. Commercial shipping through the waterway has remained limited as the conflict has continued, with Iran seeking greater control over traffic passing through the strategic strait.Claude used to build Iranian propaganda campaignsAnthropic said it identified and removed three accounts aligned with Iranian state propaganda institutions. The accounts were linked to the Islamic Culture and Communications Organization under Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Islamic Propaganda Office of Khorasan Razavi and the Islamic Propaganda Organization’s Bina Cultural Observatory.According to Anthropic, the accounts used Claude to develop campaign plans, propaganda doctrine manuals, personas and target databases. They also converted official government intelligence bulletins into tailored content in Farsi, Arabic, Urdu, Malay, Spanish and English, with plans for distribution in as many as 20 languages.The material was spread across X, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok and YouTube, as well as Iranian platforms including Eitaa, Bale and Rubika. Anthropic said some of the content appeared on channels sympathetic to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) narratives.The company assessed the influence operation as Category Three on its Breakout Scale, indicating that the activity involved distribution across multiple platforms.During the 2026 US-Israel-Iran war, Anthropic said the network also attributed false claims to Western research organisations, including CSIS, Brookings and RAND, in an apparent attempt to make Iranian state-backed narratives appear more credible.Iran-linked account developed US naval targeting toolsAnthropic separately identified an Iran-linked account that used Claude to collect and analyse publicly available information about US naval forces in the region.The account used the AI model to compile targeting handbooks and identify and track naval positions using open-source information, according to the company. Anthropic said the activity involved developing recommendations that could potentially be used against US naval forces.The threat report also detailed the use of Claude by Iranian paramilitary and security-linked units for domestic surveillance. Anthropic said it banned 16 accounts operated by two linked units associated with Iranian paramilitary and security agencies.One organisation claimed to have surveilled and profiled 6,388 Iranians in a single year and maintained an identity database. Anthropic said Claude was used to help build what it assessed was likely a government-controlled surveillance case-management system and to analyse 155,216 tweets.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.