Media: Pentagon used xAI’s Grok chatbot in Iran strike operations

A court filing in the United States has alleged that Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence system Grok was used in U.S. military operations involving strikes in Iran, according to documents cited in a legal case involving xAI.

The claims appear in a sworn statement attributed to a senior U.S. defence official in a lawsuit challenging xAI’s data centre operations over environmental concerns. The filing describes the continued operation of the system as “a matter of paramount national security” and alleges its use in high-intensity military targeting operations, according to WIRED.

According to the statement, the chatbot was used in coordination with military systems during operations involving “more than 2,000 munitions at 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours.”

Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, is among four AI models currently capable of supporting national security applications, according to Cameron Stanley, the Pentagon’s chief digital and artificial intelligence officer. That includes using the model as part of recent strikes against Iran. Forcing xAI to stop running the gas turbines powering Colossus 2, Stanley says, “directly threatens ongoing national security interests.”

“The chatbot is also one of three products equipped to support mission-critical operations in top secret settings," Stanley wrote.

According to the filing, this is presented as the first explicit reference by a U.S. defence official to operational use of xAI systems in strikes involving Iran. However, the claims have not been independently verified, and the Pentagon has not publicly confirmed the operational details described in the lawsuit.

Previously, the department had only authorised the use of the Claude AI model in these systems. However, in March 2026, the U.S. Department of Defence designated Anthropic as a “supply chain threat," effectively severing business ties with the company. The conflict arose from the Pentagon’s desire to use Anthropic’s AI-based products “for all lawful purposes.” Anthropic’s leadership refused to grant the Pentagon such capabilities, demanding two exceptions: that the technology not be used for mass domestic surveillance or for the creation of lethal autonomous weapons systems (combat robots).

By Sabina Mammadli