In the Trump administration, it’s difficult to know what’s real and what’s fake, and in a moment of surreal levity during an otherwise tense maritime update, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine laughed off reports that Tehran might be weaponizing marine mammals to break the current naval blockade in the Middle East.
The exchange, which took place during a Tuesday morning Pentagon briefing, highlighted the “absurdist” nature of the ongoing conflict. When asked about a recent Wall Street Journal report suggesting Iran was revisiting Cold War-style “kamikaze dolphin” programs to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth offered a dry, tongue-in-cheek response.
