US military tech often sounds like it belongs in a movie, from futuristic lasers and stealth aircraft to drones supported by artificial intelligence.
But what about something even stranger: dolphins trained for suicide missions?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth isn’t shutting the idea down entirely.
He was asked about claims that Iran could try to disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz using “trained dolphins armed with explosives.”
He said: “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.”
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also weighed in, comparing the rumour to a pop-culture punchline.
He said: “I haven’t heard about kamikaze dolphins, it’s like sharks with laser beams right?”, referencing 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which saw supervillain Dr. Evil moaning that he couldn’t have “sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads”.
Due to budget constraints, he has to settle for ill-tempered mutated sea bass instead.
The unusual exchange followed reporting from the Wall Street Journal suggesting Iran may be looking at resurrecting old Soviet-era efforts that involved training dolphins for military purposes.
In simple terms, the concept described involves attaching mines to dolphins and directing them through the Strait of Hormuz, where they could strike ships during transit.
Another claim was that dolphins might even be used to transport and deploy harpoons.
Separate coverage, originally attributed to the BBC, has previously alleged that Russia trained dolphins to target warships and so-called “enemy frogmen.”
That report identified Boris Zhurid as the lead trainer in both military and civilian settings, noting he started out as a submariner before later studying at a medical academy.
It also said he ultimately had to sell the dolphins because he could no longer afford to feed them.
At the same press conference, Hegseth announced “Project Freedom,” describing it as a new US effort aimed at safeguarding commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
He stressed that the plan is separate from the wider conflict with Iran and is intended to be defensive rather than escalatory.
While suggesting the ceasefire between the US and Iran remains in place, he cautioned Iran against taking action that would threaten any shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz, whether international or US-linked.
He told reporters: “Right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we’re going to be watching very, very closely.”
He said the goal of the additional steps is to “restart the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz”.
That push comes as ongoing disruption in the region continues to be linked to rising fuel costs worldwide.
He continued: “To be clear, this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury.
“Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission, protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression.”