Clearing Hormuz mines could take six months, report says

Clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months, according to a Pentagon assessment reported by the Washington Post, raising concerns that disruption to global energy supplies may persist.

The report, published on Wednesday, cited officials familiar with the discussions as saying the estimate was shared with members of the House Armed Services Committee during a classified briefing. It warned that even if hostilities end, reopening the strategic waterway could take months.

Iran has effectively blocked the strait since the outbreak of conflict with the United States and Israel, driving up oil and gas prices and unsettling the global economy. In peacetime, the route carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas.

The waterway has remained largely closed during a fragile ceasefire, with the United States maintaining its own naval blockade. The Pentagon assessment suggested that mine-clearing operations were unlikely to begin before the end of the war.

Lawmakers were told that Iran may have deployed 20 or more mines in and around the strait. Some are believed to be remotely controlled using GPS technology, making them more difficult to detect, according to the report.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rejected the claims in a statement shared with AFP. “A six-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an impossibility and completely unacceptable to the Secretary,” he said. He added that the Washington Post report was based on a “classified, closed briefing” but that much of the information was “false”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have declared a “danger zone” spanning 1,400 square kilometres, an area roughly 14 times the size of Paris, where mines may be present. The country’s parliamentary speaker said the strait would not reopen while the US naval blockade remained in place.

Shipping firms have expressed concern about safety in the region. A spokesman for German transport company Hapag-Lloyd said last week that operators needed clearer information on safe routes, as fears over mines persisted.

When the strait briefly reopened at the start of the ceasefire earlier this month, only a small number of vessels passed through, amid continued concerns over attacks and underwater threats.

Earlier in April, the US Navy said its vessels had entered the waterway to begin mine clearance operations. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard denied this and warned that any military ships attempting to cross would face consequences.

Meanwhile, military planners from more than 30 countries gathered in London on Wednesday for talks on a UK- and France-led multinational mission aimed at protecting navigation in the strait once the conflict ends. The proposed “defensive” coalition is expected to discuss plans to reopen the route and carry out mine clearance operations.