In the wake of the threats by Iran to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy has a backup plan to save one-fifth of the world’s daily oil trade: Send in the dolphins.

Iran could block the strait with any assortment of mines, armed speed boats or anti-ship cruise missiles but according to Michael Connell at the Center for Naval Analysis: “The immediate issue for the US military is to get the mines.”

To solve that problem, the Navy has a solution that isn’t heavily-advertised but has a time-tested success rate: Mine-detecting dolphins.

Increasing tensions between Iran and the West over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme have raised fears of possible military conflict in the Middle East and of disrupting the flows of oil and gas that are vital to the global economy.

“We’ve got dolphins,” said retired Admiral Tim Keating during a recent interview with the US national radio – NPR.

Admiral Keating commanded the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain during the run-up to the Iraq war. He sounded uncomfortable with elaborating on the Navy’s use of the lovable mammals but said in a situation like the standoff in Hormuz, Navy-trained dolphins would come in handy.

The invasion of Iraq was the last time the minesweeping capability of dolphins were widely-touted. “Dolphins, which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away, are invaluable minesweepers,” according to The San Francisco Chronicle.