This Company Profiting from Brutal Conflict in Iran
Jakarta — Conflict in the Middle East, initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran, has quietly benefited Palantir Technologies. During a turbulent week for equity markets, Palantir recorded a surge of 15%.
The Nasdaq index, dominated by technology stocks, declined by 1.2% this week due to pressure from shares such as Apple, Google and Micron. Other benchmark indices have also fallen as crude oil prices tumbled sharply.
However, the hardline stance of US President Donald Trump, which shows no signs of ending the conflict with Iran, has prompted investors to seek out Palantir shares. Notably, US government expenditure accounts for 60% of Palantir’s revenues.
Palantir is a software supplier to the US government, specifically related to military and intelligence agencies. Since 2024, Palantir has collaborated with AI company Anthropic on US military defence projects.
Anthropic has come under scrutiny for refusing to allow its AI tools to be used for creating autonomous weapons and surveilling US citizens. This stance angered Trump and led him to prohibit federal agencies from using Anthropic’s services.
Analysts at Rosenblatt have maintained a buy recommendation for Palantir shares and raised their price target to US$200 from US$150. The stock closed at US$157.16 on Friday of last week.
The analysts wrote that “the Middle East conflict is a positive sign” for government projects undertaken by Palantir. Additionally, Palantir’s position demonstrates an “adequate alternative” to Anthropic’s Claude model, according to CNBC International.
Analysts added that more agreements between Palantir and the US Army are likely in the near term.
Last year, Palantir secured a US$10 billion agreement with the US Army. The company also supplies artificial intelligence for military “weapons” such as enemy targeting. Several of Palantir’s AI tools are reportedly involved in US-Israeli operations against Iran.
Regarding its partnership with Anthropic, Palantir has not publicly commented on future plans, given the Trump administration’s explicit prohibition on the use of Anthropic’s AI tools going forward.