Pentagon denies report that clearing Iranian mines from Strait of Hormuz could take 6 months

The Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false a 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 yesterday 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 says “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 tells AFP.

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 kilometers — 14 times the size of Paris — where mines may be present.