U.S. Media: U.S. Military Needs 6 Months to Complete Mine Clearance in the Strait of Hormuz

On April 22, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that the Pentagon disclosed that the U.S. military needs six months to completely clear the mines laid by the Iranian military in the Strait of Hormuz, and that mine-clearing operations are unlikely to commence before the end of the conflict.

The report stated that a senior official from the Department of Defense made this assessment during a confidential briefing for members of the House Armed Services Committee. This timeline has left both Democratic and Republican lawmakers frustrated, as it suggests that the current conflict's impact on the U.S. economy, particularly fuel prices, may persist until later this year or even longer.

Three officials who wished to remain anonymous said that lawmakers were informed that Iran may have laid 20 or more mines in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters. Some of the mines were deployed remotely using satellite positioning technology, making it difficult for the U.S. military to detect them at the time of deployment; others were laid by the Iranian military using small boats.

The report noted that it is unclear what plan the U.S. military will implement to carry out mine-clearing operations.

On the 11th, U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying that two U.S. Navy missile destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz that day to begin creating conditions for mine clearance in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, however, has continuously released statements denying that U.S. ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz. On the 17th, Trump posted on social media that Iran, with U.S. assistance, "has already or is in the process of" clearing all mines, which Iran also denied.