Forget Kamikaze Dolphins: The Real Story Behind Military Marine Mammals and Iran’s Threats

Let’s get one thing straight: the idea that Iran is unleashing “kamikaze dolphins” to attack U.S. warships is more Hollywood than hard reality. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shut down the notion flat during a recent briefing, confirming that the U.S. does not have—and does not believe Iran has—marine mammals trained to ram enemy vessels. The term “kamikaze dolphins” conjures images of suicide missions straight out of World War II, but Hegseth made clear that’s not happening here.

Still, the reports came from a credible source: The Wall Street Journal cited Iranian officials claiming they could use “mine-carrying dolphins” in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical shipping lane Iran has largely blocked amid ongoing conflict. It’s unclear if Iran truly possesses this capability or if the claim is part of a broader campaign of military posturing and misinformation designed to distract from domestic scandals and escalate fears.

What’s not fiction is the long history of dolphins and sea lions in U.S. and Soviet military programs. Since 1959, the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program has trained bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to detect mines, conduct underwater surveillance, and recover objects. These animals’ biosonar abilities often outperform electronic sonar, making them invaluable in cluttered or open waters alike. During the Vietnam and Iraq wars, dolphins played key roles detecting enemy divers and clearing mines.

The Soviet Navy developed similar programs during the Cold War, with Russia reportedly reviving these efforts after seizing Ukraine’s dolphin unit during the 2014 Crimea annexation. Satellite images as recent as 2022 show dolphin pens in Sevastopol harbor, underscoring that marine mammal military use is far from a relic.

But training dolphins for military use is no simple feat. Experts emphasize that the real challenge isn’t just having dolphins, but having the human expertise to work with them effectively. “It’s a challenge for humans to learn how to work best with dolphin capabilities,” notes Scott Savitz of the Rand Corporation. Whether Iran has mastered this is an open question.

There’s also an ethical dimension often overlooked. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stresses that military animals should be humanely trained and cared for, with their welfare protected well beyond active service. Dolphins in the U.S. program reportedly enjoy daily exercise, play, and good care, with no known harm during operations.

In the grand scheme, the “kamikaze dolphin” story is a red herring in a conflict already rife with misinformation and dangerous brinkmanship. While Iran’s threats and attacks in the Strait of Hormuz are real and escalating, the idea of weaponized marine mammals is more distraction than danger. What matters is holding the administration accountable for its military adventures and the transparency—or lack thereof—around these escalating foreign entanglements.