Khaberni - Iran is studying the possibility of using dolphins equipped with mines to detonate and open the Strait of Hormuz, which has been under an economically taxing American military blockade for weeks, according to a press report.
While a fragile ceasefire with the United States still holds, an increasing number of hardliners in Iran view the financial crisis resulting from Washington's blockade 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 might include the use of weapons not previously used to target American warships in the area, including dolphins equipped with mines.
The reports also indicated that Tehran might resort to deploying submarines to the waterway, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has already threatened to cut the main communication cables passing through the strait, which could lead to widespread disruptions in communications and the internet globally, and increase tensions.
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 viewed in Tehran not as an alternative to war, but as a form of it."
He added: Therefore, decision-makers in Iran may soon find that returning to conflict is less costly than continuing to endure a long-term blockade.
