World

Pentagon denies clearing Hormuz mines will take six months

Published: 03:04 PM,Apr 23,2026 | EDITED : 07:04 PM,Apr 23,2026

A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship M/V Touska as the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Spruance conducts its interception in a location given as the north Arabian Sea, in this screen capture from a video. — AFP file photo
 
A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship M/V Touska as the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Spruance conducts its interception in a location given as the north Arabian Sea, in this screen capture from a video. — AFP file photo

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false on Thursday a news report saying that the department assessed it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon shared the six-month estimate during a classified briefing for the members of the House Armed Services Committee, citing three unidentified officials familiar with the discussion.
Iran has vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States blockades its ports, with the blocked waterway sharply driving up oil and gas prices and disrupting the global economy.
Asked about the report, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said 'the media cherry picking leaked information, much of which is false, from a classified, closed briefing is dishonest journalism.'
'One assessment does not mean the assessment is plausible, and a six-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an impossibility and completely unacceptable to the Secretary,' Parnell said on Thursday.
Lawmakers were told that Iran could have placed 20 or more mines in and around the strait, some floated remotely using GPS technology that makes them harder to detect, according to the Washington Post.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned of a 'danger zone' covering 1,400 square km — 14 times the size of Paris — where mines may be present.
A spokesman for German transportation giant Hapag-Lloyd cautioned last week that shippers needed details on viable routes because they remain fearful of mines.
Only a few ships trickled through when the Hormuz strait briefly reopened at the start of the ceasefire this month because of concerns about attacks or mines.
President ​Donald Trump on Thursday said he had ⁠ordered the ⁠US Navy 'to shoot ‌and kill any ​boat' ⁠that ​is laying mines ‌in ​the Strait of Hormuz, and that US ‌minesweepers were ​working 'at ​a ‌tripled up ⁠level' to ​clear any mines ⁠from the ​waters. — Agencies