Pentagon's Hegseth Denies Iran Has Kamikaze Dolphins

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed claims that Iran possesses so-called kamikaze dolphins during a Pentagon briefing Tuesday.

"I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don’t," Hegseth said.

The remark followed a Wall Street Journal report stating that Iranian officials have discussed reviving a Cold War-era program with trained dolphins that could carry mines toward enemy ships.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine laughed at the question and said he had not heard of it. "It's like sharks with laser beams, right?" he added, referencing a weapon from the Austin Powers films.

U.S. military dolphins have seen combat use, though not as weapons themselves. In the Iraq War, Navy-trained dolphins cleared mines from the port of Umm Qasr in the Persian Gulf. They used natural sonar to locate and mark explosives for divers to neutralize.

The U.S. Navy trains marine mammals to detect underwater mines and track divers. Soviet Cold War programs tested more offensive roles.

Iran acquired dolphins from a former Soviet program in 2000, but no confirmed evidence shows such capabilities active today.

Trained dolphins detect and mark threats rather than strike them. Unlike guided weapons, they cannot be directed in real time after deployment.

The Strait of Hormuz presents special challenges for any such tactic. As one of the world's busiest maritime chokepoints, it sees heavy commercial and military traffic through its narrow passage.

The speculation arises as tensions rise in the region. Iran has long used asymmetric methods like naval mines, drones and fast-attack boats to threaten shipping.