Anthropic blocks users in Houthi-held Yemen over AI weapons misuse

Anthropic, an AI company, blocked users in northern Yemen who were misusing its models to develop advanced missile systems. The accounts, linked to Iran-backed Houthi rebels, were found using smartphones to run weapons programs.

Dubai: The AI company Anthropic said it blocked users in northern Yemen who were using its AI models to run weapons development programs, some using commercially available smartphones.

Anthropic said its models were being used to pursue sophisticated precision, long-range ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The company said it identified the users during an internal investigation and banned their accounts. Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen have been smuggling advanced weapons for years despite a blockade and U.N. arms embargo. 

---

Iran denies arming the rebels

Anthropic said the accounts used Claude Code to develop software that “steers and stabilizes a flying vehicle” and were working to develop weapons including a guided rocket that allows mobile phone users to autonomously track targets. There is no evidence the users in Yemen succeeded in fielding a weapon, the company said.

Houthi rebels capture strategic island as Saudi Arabia targets airport 

Yemen ’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured the island of Mayun at the entrance of the Red Sea, a key alternative for shipping Saudi oil and other exports since Iran has been targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The island’s seizure was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Houthi official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes against the airport in Yemen’s port city of Mokha, which the Houthis captured on Thursday, a Houthi broadcaster said. 

There was no immediate report of damage or deaths.About 12% of the world’s goods are typically shipped through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. It’s especially important to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally. 

The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a statement Friday that “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels.” But markets are nervous, and experts have described the Houthis as highly unpredictable. 

Iran presses for an end to Saudi blockade of Yemen 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry called for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen and an immediate return to negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, throwing its support behind its ally.

The statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency marked Tehran’s first public comment since the Houthis entered into the Red Sea port of Mokha on Thursday. Meanwhile, Yemen’s National Defense Council strongly condemned the Houthis’ renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying it would respond to threats across the country.

Iran to meet with Gulf Arab neighbors over Strait of Hormuz 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Friday that a regional meeting is planned between Iran and other Persian Gulf countries, including Oman and Iraq. Baghaei told reporters the meeting will take place on Monday in Oman and will include discussion on prior talks between Iran and Oman regarding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. 

Located on either side of the strait, Iran and Oman, have held talks over managing ship traffic through the critical waterway, which has been heavily disrupted by the Iran war. About a fifth of the world’s traded oil passed through the strait before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Since then, the Islamic Republic retaliated by repeatedly attacking neighboring countries in the Gulf that host U.S. military forces.