Strait of Hormuz blocked for six months? The Pentagon puts an end to rumors and announces a tough response

Demining the Strait of Hormuz will not take six months, the Pentagon said on Thursday, denying the Washington Post's reports on this subject. Hormuz is crucial for global oil and gas transportation.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told NewsNation that the newspaper's reporting is based on “selective information that has leaked (from the briefing), and much of it is false.”

As we said in March, one assessment does not mean it is credible, and closing the Strait of Hormuz for six months is impossible and completely unacceptable for Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, he added.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon has notified members of Congress that it could take six months to completely remove the mines laid in Hormuz by Iran. The ministry informed that such an operation could not be carried out before the end of the US war with Iran. Congressmen were also told that Iran may have laid 20 or more mines in or around the strait.

Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he had ordered US forces to destroy any boat laying mines in Hormuz and to “triple” the pace of demining the strait.

Last week, he wrote on Truth Social that “Iran, with US help, has already removed or is removing all naval mines.” Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads US Central Command (CENTCOM), confirmed that American forces are demining the Strait of Hormuz. He was unable to say how many mines Iran has laid in the waterway, but said the number was within American capabilities.

From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)

Sun/ akl/