War in the Middle East: Complete mine clearance of the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months

Completely clearing the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months, a senior Pentagon official said during a closed-door session with members of the House Armed Services Committee. The Pentagon informed Congress that such an operation would only begin after the end of a possible war between the United States and Iran, according to the Washington Post.

Three officials speaking on condition of anonymity told lawmakers that Iran could have planted 20 or more mines in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Some were launched and kept afloat remotely using GPS technology, making it difficult for U.S. forces to detect the mines when they were deployed. Others were believed to have been planted by Iranian forces using small boats, the senior defense official told lawmakers.

The Pentagon declined to answer questions about the military’s assessment of how long it would take to clear mines, but a spokesman, Sean Parnell, acknowledged that an estimate had been made during a briefing, calling the US media report “inaccurate”.

Iran began laying mines in the strait in March, as U.S. and Israeli forces continued attacks on the country. Donald Trump then threatened that Iran would suffer consequences “on a level never seen before” unless it removed all the mines that “may have been placed”.

An impact on the price of gas and oil?

The Pentagon highlighted in the following days an effort to attack Iranian ships that could lay mines. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that U.S. forces would destroy these ships with “ruthless precision.” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi responded by denying that Iran was laying mines. According to the New York Times, Iran is unable to find all the mines it has laid.

The Pentagon’s latest assessment was presented to lawmakers after Donald Trump said on social media that “Iran, with the assistance of the United States, has removed or is in the process of removing all sea mines” from the Strait of Hormuz. At this time, it is not clear what plan the US military wishes to implement to carry out a mine clearance operation. Officials have discussed the possibility of using helicopters, drones and fireworks divers.

Richard Nephew, an expert on Iranian diplomacy at Columbia University, said the six-month delay in clearing the strait would likely disrupt oil and gas markets. This situation is due to the concern of insurers, ship owners and captains regarding the safety of navigation in a mined sea area. “There won’t be many people who want to take this risk,” he assures.