Iran is considering deploying dolphins armed with mines to conduct suicide attacks against American warships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. The regime views the weeks-long U.S. military blockade, which has crippled Iran’s oil exports, as an act of war despite an extended cease-fire remaining in effect.

Soviet-Trained Marine Weapons

Tehran purchased dolphins trained for combat operations from the Soviet navy in 2000. These marine mammals received instruction in attacking targets with harpoons mounted on their backs and executing kamikaze strikes by carrying explosive mines directly to enemy vessels. Iranian hardliners increasingly demand resuming military action as the financial crisis from blocked oil revenues deepens. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard has already threatened to sever critical undersea phone cables running through the strait, which could severely disrupt global internet communications.

Escalating Military Options

Beyond weaponized dolphins, Iran may deploy submarines into the strategic waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through this narrow channel. Hamidreza Azizi, a Middle East specialist at Berlin’s SWP research institute, told the Wall Street Journal that Tehran increasingly views the blockade not as a war alternative but as war itself. Iranian decision makers may soon calculate that renewed conflict costs less than enduring prolonged economic strangulation from the U.S. naval presence blocking their primary revenue source.

Growing Regional Tensions

The situation represents a dangerous escalation in the standoff between Washington and Tehran. While the cease-fire technically holds, Iran’s consideration of unconventional weapons like trained dolphins signals desperation within the regime. The financial pressure from blocked oil exports has created internal political divisions, with hardliners gaining influence. Any attack on U.S. warships would likely trigger immediate military retaliation and could spark a broader regional conflict. American forces remain on high alert throughout the Persian Gulf, monitoring Iranian military movements and preparing for potential asymmetric warfare tactics that could threaten commercial shipping and naval operations.