Washington DC — Senior United States defence officials have dismissed media reports claiming Iran is considering using dolphins to carry out suicide missions on US warships in the Strait of Hormuz, amid heightened tensions and naval activity in the strategic waterway.

During a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, appearing alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, was questioned regarding reports on the potential deployment of Iranian "kamikaze dolphins" in the US-Israeli war on Iran.

"I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they [Iran] don't," Hegseth told the media.

Caine remarked that he was unaware of the reports.

"I haven't heard the kamikaze dolphin thing, it is like sharks with laser beams," he said, a reference to the Austin Powers movies.

The official reaction came after the Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed Iranian official as saying that "Tehran could use previously unused weapons to attack US warships, from submarines to mine-carrying dolphins."

The story of "kamikaze dolphins" was repeated by the Fox News and by The New York Post.

The NYP cited 26-year-old BBC article that suggested Iran bought dolphins trained to kill for the Soviet navy.

Fox News host Jesse Watters also pushed the "kamikaze dolphins" angle on air with lines like "The mullahs (Iranian clerics) want to strap mines to dolphins now. Don’t tell PETA!"

US dolphin programme

Both Hegseth and Caine, however, dismissed these reports in a light-hearted manner.

The US Navy has been running a public Marine Mammal Program since the 1960s.

Pentagon officials say the programme, which involves bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, does not include training the animals to carry explosives, attack ships, or conduct suicide missions.

Instead, they are used solely for defensive, non-lethal roles, such as detecting underwater mines, locating lost objects or swimmers, and harbour protection.

Suggestions have been made lately to the US Navy to utilise dolphins to clear Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, after which Tehran bombed US forces and targeted US allies in the region while effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for global energy exports — while US later launched a blockade of Iranian ports.

The war has spread across the Middle East and disrupted the global economy, affecting millions despite the Pakistan-mediated truce.