During a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, faced an unusual question from Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan. She inquired about concerns regarding mines in the Strait of Hormuz and asked for clarification on reports of so-called 'kamikaze dolphins.'
Official Responses
Gen. Caine responded with humor, saying, 'I haven't heard the kamikaze dolphins thing. It's like sharks with laser beams, right?'—a clear reference to the 1997 film 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.' Secretary Hegseth denied that Iran possessed such mine-carrying dolphins but declined to confirm or deny whether the United States had them.
Origin of the Report
The question stemmed from a late April report by The Wall Street Journal, which stated that Iranian officials had suggested Tehran could deploy previously unused weapons, including submarines and mine-carrying dolphins, against U.S. warships.
The exchange occurred after Hegseth described President Donald Trump's planned operation, 'Project Freedom,' as a mission separate from the ongoing two-month-long war, aimed at protecting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Later that Tuesday afternoon, Trump announced a temporary pause of 'Project Freedom' at Pakistan's request to finalize an agreement with Iran to end the war.
