Hegseth dismisses claim Iran has weaponized dolphins

Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing that Iran does not have socalled "kamikaze dolphins," responding to a recent report about a possible revived dolphin program tied to the Strait of Hormuz. The claim came from reporting that said Iranian officials had discussed bringing back a Cold Warera program involving trained dolphins that could carry mines toward ships. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said he had not heard of the idea and joked that it sounded like "sharks with laser beams." The article notes that militaries, including the U.S. Navy, have used dolphins for minedetection and other support roles, but there is no confirmed evidence that Iran has an active offensive program.