The Strait of Hormuz may remain closed for several months — even if the persistent Iran-US deadlock could be resolved immediately. Pentagon officials held a classified briefing with lawmakers earlier this week as the clock wound down on a two-week ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump. The POTUS moved sharply away from his aggressive posture on Thursday by extending the ceasefire indefinitely. The announcement came despite reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard targeted three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, successfully seizing two and escorting them to Iranian waters. The US is also maintaining a naval blockade in the critical waterway.
According to an AP report, the Pentagon told lawmakers this week it will likely take six months to clear the mines set in the Strait. Officials from the Department of Defence reportedly delivered the information during a classified briefing at the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
A separate report by The Washington Post added that the timeline was met with frustration from Democrats and Republicans alike. Lawmakers were reportedly told that Iran may have places 20 or more mines in and around the vital waterway. The Pentagon said some were floated remotely using GPS technology — making it difficult for US forces to detect the mines as they are deployed. Authorities believe that Iranian forces laid some of the other mines using small boats.
The Washington Post report noted that Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had called the source-based updates “inaccurate” and noted that the disclosure was made during a classified briefing. The timeline is the latest sign that gasoline and oil prices could remain elevated long after any peace deal is reached.
Growing speculation about the mines and continued Iranian drone and missile attacks had served to bring the waterway to a standstill — driving up energy prices and providing Iran with its best leverage in the war. There has been no formal acknowledgement of the possible mines strewn through the Strait of Hormuz. But the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has issued warnings that ships could collide with sea mines, and semiofficial news organisations recently published charts showing safe routes.
Iran unable to locate its mines?
The Pentagon briefing comes nearly two weeks after the New York Times reported that Iran was unable to locate all of the mines it had laid in and around the Strait of Hormuz. US officials said this was the key reason why Iran had been unable to comply with Trump’s demands and fully reopen the Strait to shipping traffic. The publication also quoted sources as saying that Iran also lacked the technical capability required to remove these mines. Multiple reports suggest Iran used small boats to mine the Strait of Hormuz in early March.
US officials cited by NYT said Iran had mined the strait ‘haphazardly’ to create restrictive routes for ships. It is reportedly not clear whether Tehran recorded where it had placed every mine. Others were reportedly placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move away from marked locations. A rough path was reportedly left for ships to use after paying their toll to Iran.
Iran attacks multiple ships, US CENTCOM touts blockade
The US Central Command said on Thursday morning that its forces in the Mideast had “directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the blockade” against Tehran. Meanwhile, Iranian state media said the IRGC targeted three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. At least two of these were seized and escorted into Iranian waters. , successfully seizing two and escorting them to Iranian waters. Nour News, Fars and Mehr all reported that the guard had subsequently attacked a third vessel called the Euphoria. They said the ship had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, without elaborating.