Anthropic has pulled the plug on global access to its most powerful AI models after the US government decided they were too dangerous to share with the world. The company suspended access to Claude Mythos 5, Mythos Preview, and the related Fable 5 variant as of June 2026, following a directive from the US Commerce Department.
The order came directly from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in a letter to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on June 1, 2026. It mandated that any export, re-export, or domestic transfer of these models to non-US persons must receive governmental approval first. Anthropic publicly confirmed its compliance on June 13, 2026.
What the export controls actually require
The suspension applies to foreign nationals located inside the United States as well. If you’re a non-US person sitting in a coffee shop in San Francisco, you’re also cut off.
The Commerce Department’s reasoning centers on the Mythos models’ advanced cybersecurity capabilities and the concern that these models could potentially be weaponized by adversaries if access isn’t tightly controlled.
