14:14, Tue, May 5, 2026 Updated: 15:32, Tue, May 5, 2026
Pete Hegseth was asked about the US Navy deploying 'kamikaze dolphins' in Iran (Image: SKY NEWS)
Iran does not have "kamikaze dolphins", US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said, but would not "confirm or deny" whether America did.
Speaking from the White House to the media alongside General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he was asked about reports of the marine mammals being deployed as weapons amid the ongoing Gulf crisis. Mr Hegseth said: "I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don’t. General Caine added: "I haven’t heard about kamikaze dolphins – it’s like sharks with laser beams right?" These comments come after several reports, with one initially published by the Wall Street Journal, claiming Iran is seeking to use dolphins armed with mines to launch kamikaze-style attacks on US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, citing Iranian officials familiar with the matter.
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General Dan Caine was speaking alongside Pete Hegseth (Image: Getty)
As the Daily Express US reported, this would not be the first time Iran has used the animal in its military strategy.
For example, in the year 2000, the country trained dolphins to kill the Soviet navy, training them to attack their enemies with harpoons attached to their backs, as well as with mines they were carrying in their bodies.
According to the Journal's reporting, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also threatened to cut phone cables in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could disrupt global internet service, as it becomes more desperate to end the war, as well as the US blockade in the passage.
Yesterday, the US Navy was reportedly directed to strike "immediate threats" against ships that cross the Strait of Hormuz, effectively changing the rules of engagement for American forces in the region.
The Trump's administration has recently launched the 'Project Freedom' operation in Iran. (Image: Getty)
The move was part of what Mr Trump's administration called "Project Freedom," a plan to help release ships that were "locked up in the Strait of Hormuz" and were "merely neutral and innocent bystanders."
And today, the US warned Iran it is "locked and loaded" to defend Trump’s 'Project Freedom' fuelling renewed concerns about the possibility of escalating global tensions.
Speaking at the Pentagon briefing room, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran they will face "overwhelming American firepower" if they attack American troops.
Iran repeatedly said they had struck US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, but the US Central Command denied the claims.
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