During a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan asked the pair a truly head-scratching question about Iran using “kamikaze dolphins” in the Strait of Hormuz.

“For Secretary Hegseth, are there still concerns about mines in the strait, and can you kind of clarify these reports of kamikaze dolphins that we’ve heard about?” Olohan asked.

“I haven’t heard the kamikaze dolphins thing. It’s like sharks with laser beams, right?” Caine said in an apparent reference to the 1997 film “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”

Hegseth, for his part, denied that Iran had the so-called mine-carrying dolphins but said he would neither “confirm or deny” whether the U.S. had them.

The original report Olohan was referring to came from The Wall Street Journal in late April, and said: “Iranian officials said Tehran could use previously unused weapons to attack U.S. warships, from submarines to mine-carrying dolphins.”

The bizarre exchange came after Hegseth claimed President Donald Trump’s planned operation to protect commercial ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz, dubbed “Project Freedom,” was a “separate and distinct” mission from the now two-month-old war.

Trump announced late Tuesday afternoon that he would be pausing “Project Freedom” for a short period at the request of Pakistan to finalize an agreement with Iran to end the war.

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.