Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday rejected rumors that Iran is using trained dolphins armed with explosives to block the Strait of Hormuz — but left the public wondering whether the US might have such a fantastical capability.
“It’s still pretty low-level kinetics at this point in time, and I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins — but I can confirm they don’t,” he said.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine chuckled at the notion.
The United States Navy has been training marine mammals for years. Getty Images“I haven’t heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It’s like sharks with laser beams, right?” he said, referring to a plot point in the 1997 secret agent satire “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”
The conversation came after a Wall Street Journal report last week suggested Iran has at least explored reviving Soviet-era programs that trained dolphins for military use — including potentially equipping them to carry mines toward enemy ships in the narrow, heavily trafficked strait.
Iran bought dolphins trained to kill for the Soviet navy in 2000, the BBC reported at the time. The animals were trained to attack the Islamic Republic’s enemies with harpoons attached to their backs, the outlet reported.
They were also trained to undertake kamikaze strikes against enemy ships by carrying mines.
US officials have long warned that the regime leans on unconventional tactics — from naval mines to fast-attack boats — to threaten shipping through the critical oil chokepoint.
“I haven’t heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It’s like sharks with laser beams, right?” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said, referring to a plot point in the 1997 secret agent satire “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”
Pete Hegseth briefed the media on the Iran war on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. REUTERSBut defense analysts have suggested that if Iran were eyeing such a desperate means of attack, it would reflect the weakened nature of its current capabilities.
