U.S. Says Clearing Strait of Hormuz Mines Could Take 6 Months, but Only After War Ends

\r\n
[Financial News] It could take six months to completely clear mines already laid in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 25% of the world's maritime oil shipments passed before the war. Even then, the work could only begin after the war has fully ended.
The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 22nd local time, citing sources, that a senior official at the U.S. Department of Defense briefed the House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) in a closed-door session earlier that day and presented that estimate. In the briefing, the official said Iran may have laid more than 20 mines in and around the Strait of Hormuz. There were also reports that some mines were remotely deployed using GPS technology, making them difficult for the United States Armed Forces to detect. The Pentagon concluded that it would be difficult to carry out mine-laying operations before the war with Iran ends.
The United States, which declared a ceasefire with Iran on the 7th, said in an announcement on the 11th, when it began its first round of peace talks with Iran, that it would start a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz. Since last month, Iran has blocked passage through the strait by laying mines after the United States and Israel attacked the country. In a report on the 10th, The New York Times (NYT) said Iran had tried to increase traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S. ceasefire, but could not locate all of the mines it had already laid and lacked the capability to remove them. Foreign media outlets analyzed that the United States had begun preliminary preparations from the 11th ahead of full-scale mine removal.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who received the Pentagon briefing on the 22nd said they were unhappy with the assessment. According to WP's outlook, it will be difficult to restore safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz before the war ends. The report also warned that energy supply disruptions from the Middle East and the upward trend in oil prices could last for an extended period. The Republican Party, which faces the midterm election in November, could be put at a disadvantage if the energy instability continues as the Pentagon predicts.
pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter