Defense Secretary Hegseth dismisses Iran kamikaze dolphins threat, acknowledges history of military marine mammals

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed claims that Iran could deploy 'kamikaze dolphins' carrying mines against U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz during a May 13, 2026 briefing, despite Wall Street Journal reports on April 30 citing Iranian officials making such threats. The briefing occurred amid escalating conflict following Operation Epic Fury launched February 28, 2026, with the strait largely blocked and President Trump announcing Project Freedom on May 10 to free stranded ships. Hegseth acknowledged the U.S. Navy's own Marine Mammal Program, which has trained dolphins and sea lions since 1959 for mine detection and surveillance, with dolphins playing key roles in the 2003 Iraq War. Russia also operates a revived dolphin program after seizing Ukraine's military dolphins during the 2014 Crimea annexation, though animal welfare advocates argue military animals should not be unnecessarily put at risk despite experts saying no marine mammal has been harmed in operations.

Hegseth kamikaze dolphins briefing

• ▪Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the idea that Iran could weaponize marine mammals in the Strait of Hormuz during a briefing on May 13, 2026
• ▪The article about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments on Iran's potential use of kamikaze dolphins was published on May 15, 2026
• ▪The Wall Street Journal reported on April 30, 2026 that Iranian officials had said Iran could use mine-carrying dolphins to attack U.S. warships

Strait of Hormuz conflict

• ▪The U.S. and Israel began a war called Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026
• ▪President Donald Trump announced Project Freedom on May 10, 2026, an operation to free ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz since the onset of the conflict
• ▪The U.S. said it sank Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz on May 11, 2026
• ▪The Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked during the war between the U.S. and Iran
• ▪Iran attacked the United Arab Emirates during the week of May 11, 2026
• ▪Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces would not need to enter Iranian waters or airspace to carry out Project Freedom

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program

• ▪The U.S. Navy's Marine Mammal Program trains dolphins to detect mines and other underwater threats, conduct surveillance, and locate and recover objects at sea
• ▪The U.S. Navy's Marine Mammal Program has trained bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions since 1959
• ▪Dolphins played a key role in detecting and clearing naval mines from the port of Umm Qasr during the Iraq War in 2003
• ▪The U.S. Navy trained dolphins to detect swimmers and divers trying to access military facilities during the Vietnam War

Soviet dolphin training history

• ▪The Soviet Navy trained dolphins for defense during the Cold War
• ▪The Soviet Navy's dolphin unit was transferred to Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union

Russian dolphin program revival

• ▪The Russian military revived its dolphin program after seizing Ukraine's defense dolphins in 2014 during the annexation of Crimea
• ▪Satellite imagery identified two dolphin pens in the Sevastopol harbor in 2022

Military animal ethics concerns

• ▪The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says animals should not be unnecessarily put at risk or sacrificed in the service of the country
• ▪The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says military animals should be humanely trained and responsibly maintained

Perspective of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

• ▪The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposes unnecessarily putting animals at risk or sacrificing them in military service