&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Iran could deploy ‘dolphins equipped with mines’ to strike US warships, says report")
Iran is reportedly weighing an unusual and controversial tactic as tensions persist in the Gulf, with trained dolphins being considered for potential attacks on US naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Iranian officials are exploring the possibility of deploying dolphins equipped with mines to strike enemy ships. The development comes amid growing internal pressure in Tehran following a prolonged blockade that has significantly restricted the country’s oil exports.
While a fragile ceasefire with the US remains in place, some hardline factions in Iran increasingly view the blockade as tantamount to war and are calling for renewed military action. The reported dolphin strategy reflects a broader push to consider unconventional methods as the economic crisis deepens.
Is it the first time?
Iran has previously explored the use of military-trained dolphins. According to the BBC, the country acquired such animals from the Soviet navy in 2000. At the time, they were reportedly trained to attack targets using harpoons and carry explosives for missions that could include suicide-style strikes against enemy vessels.
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“The blockade is increasingly viewed in Tehran not as a substitute for war, but as a different manifestation of it,” Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at a Berlin-based research institute, told WSJ. He added that Iranian decision makers may begin to see renewed conflict as less costly than enduring a prolonged blockade.
Alongside the reported use of dolphins, Iran could also deploy submarines in the strategic waterway. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has additionally threatened to cut key telecommunications cables running through the strait, a move that could disrupt global internet traffic and further escalate tensions.
For commercial shipping, however, the primary concern remains surface-level threats rather than underwater mines. US officials have issued mixed assessments of the scale of the mine threat. Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” any Iranian vessels attempting to lay mines in the strait.
