Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced bizarre questions on Monday about 'kamikaze dolphins' in Iranian waters, denying claims that Tehran has trained marine mammals for suicide attacks against U.S. forces and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
At a Pentagon briefing alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Dan Caine, Hegseth was asked about reports that have surfaced in some news outlets after Iran suggested it could use previously unused weapons in the two-month-old conflict. The BBC reported in 2000 that Tehran once purchased dolphins trained for military operations.
'I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they [Iran] don't,' Hegseth said.
Project Freedom Announced
Hegseth announced a new operation called 'Project Freedom' to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as 'separate and distinct' from the ongoing war against Iran launched by President Donald Trump. The mission aims to 'restart the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz' amid skyrocketing petroleum prices due to Iran's effective closure of the waterway.
'To be clear, this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury. Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission: protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression,' Hegseth said.
He stressed that American forces will not enter Iranian airspace or territorial waters, calling such actions 'not necessary.' He added, 'We're not looking for a fight. But Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway. Iran is the clear aggressor, harassing civilian vessels, threatening mariners from every nation indiscriminately, and weaponizing a critical choke point for its own financial benefit.'
Iran's 'International Extortion'
Hegseth described Tehran's attempts to charge tolls for safe passage through the strait as 'international extortion' that 'ends with Project Freedom' placing a 'powerful red, white and blue dome over the strait' in the form of U.S. destroyers, hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and surveillance aircraft providing 24/7 overwatch for peaceful commercial vessels.
Paradoxically, Hegseth also said the U.S. 'ironclad blockade' against Iran 'remains in full effect' even as he repeated the administration's claim that the shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran 'is not over.'
War Powers Dispute
The defense secretary's assertion that the new operation is separate from the ongoing war comes days after Operation Epic Fury reached the 60-day mark, triggering a requirement under the War Powers Resolution for President Trump to obtain congressional consent to continue hostilities or withdraw U.S. forces. Trump sent a letter to House and Senate leaders on Friday claiming that hostilities had 'terminated,' even as the blockade—an act of war under international law—continues.
The president and his top aides initially argued that the ceasefire paused the 60-day deadline, despite no legal or historical precedent for such an interpretation. Hegseth said Trump reserves the right to restart fighting and that U.S. forces remain 'locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft, and this mission without hesitation.' He described the mission as 'temporary' and called on allies to eventually take over protection of commercial shipping.
