Iran Studies Use of Mine-Equipped Dolphins to Open Strait of Hormuz

SadaNews - Iran is considering the use of dolphins equipped with mines to blow up and open the Strait of Hormuz, which has been under a financially exhausting American military blockade for weeks, according to a news report.

While the fragile ceasefire with the United States remains in place, an increasing number of hardliners in Iran view the financial crisis resulting from Washington's prevention of Iranian oil exports as an act of war, and have called for the resumption of military operations.

According to Iranian officials quoted by the "Wall Street Journal", any potential military escalation could involve the use of previously unused weapons to target American warships deployed in the region, including dolphins equipped with mines.

Reports also indicated that Tehran may resort to sending submarines to the waterway, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has already threatened to cut the main communication cables running through the strait, which could lead to widespread disruption in communications and the internet globally, escalating tensions further.

Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting researcher specializing in Middle Eastern affairs at the SWP Institute in Berlin, told the "Wall Street Journal", "The blockade is increasingly seen in Tehran not as an alternative to war, but as one of its forms".

He added: "Thus, Iranian decision-makers may soon view a return to conflict as less costly than continuing to endure a prolonged blockade."