A new report from The Washington Post has anticipated that the Strait of Hormuz could not be fully functional for the better part of the year irrespective of whether the war between the United States, Iran, and Israel ends. The Post, citing three sources close to the matter, published a report claiming the Pentagon had informed the US Congress that it could take at least six months to completely clear the Hormuz seabed of Iranian mines and find it unlikely for any such operation to be carried out unless the ongoing war ends. According to the sources, the estimates were given to lawmakers during a closed-door congressional briefing earlier in the week.
The Strait of Hormuz carried twenty percent of the world’s oil before the escalation of the war. Therefore, the recent assessment can signal towards long-lasting economic consequences.
The closure of the strait, currently imposed by blockades from both the US and Iran, could have significant political impacts in the US as the November mid-term elections are drawing closer.
US President Donald Trump has faced public critcism from American citizens since the beginning of the war, causing divisions among his MAGA (Make America Great Again) political base. It is to be noted that a major part of Trump’s pledge for his second term in The White House was to avoid foreign military conflicts and focus more on domestic issues.
Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz
As per the report, Iran is estimated to have placed twenty or more mines in and around the channel.
The New York Times has recently reported that Iran was unable to find the mines it laid in Hormuz and does not have the capacity to remove the explosives. US officials told the outlet it was one of the reasons preventing Iran from allowing more traffic through the strait.
The US military had announced on April 6 that it had “begun setting conditions for clearing mines in the strait”, with operations being conducted by two Navy guided-missile destroyers.
Pentagon refutes the report
The Post contacted the Pentagon, which dismissed the report and called it “inaccurate”.
“By deciding to publish these false claims, the Washington Post has made clear they care more about advancing an agenda than the truth,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
