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Pentagon Warns Clearing Iranian Mines from Strait of Hormuz Could Take Six Months

Pentagon Warns Clearing Iranian Mines from Strait of Hormuz Could Take Six Months
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Clearing Iranian naval mines from the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months and is unlikely to begin in full until the U.S. war with Iran ends, the Pentagon told U.S. lawmakers this week, raising the prospect of prolonged pressure on global oil supplies and prices aa. The estimate comes as oil flows through the world’s most important energy chokepoint have collapsed and war‑risk costs for shipping have soared.

In a classified briefing summarized by multiple outlets, defense officials said “fully” clearing the waterway of mines laid by Iran’s military would be a slow, resource‑intensive operation vulnerable to further attack aa +1. Washington has already begun limited mine‑countermeasure missions using underwater drones and unmanned surface vessels, but planners suggested a comprehensive clearance of shipping lanes would likely await a ceasefire or end to major combat aa +1.

Why Six Months? The Mine-Clearing Challenge

Naval mines are cheap to deploy and notoriously hard to remove. U.S. assessments suggest Iran has placed roughly a dozen devices in and around the Strait, but the exact locations and types are uncertain, forcing navies to treat large areas as contaminated independent. Mine warfare experts note that even the threat of a minefield can halt commercial traffic, because every contact on sonar must be painstakingly found, classified and neutralized.

The U.S. Navy is leaning on a mix of legacy mine‑countermeasure ships and newer autonomous systems: unmanned surface vessels towing high‑resolution sonar, underwater drones such as the Mk 18, and expendable “killer” robots like the Archerfish that detonate suspected mines independent +1. Each step requires time and heavy protection from missiles, drones and small boats, slowing progress. Admiral Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, has stressed that “finding and destroying mines is very time consuming,” even with modern technology independent.

Oil, Shipping and Diplomacy: A Prolonged Squeeze

Before the conflict escalated in late February, more than 20 million barrels per day of oil and products moved through Hormuz; by April, transits had slumped to about 3.8 million barrels per day, with alternative routes only partially offsetting the loss and leaving a net disruption of roughly 13 million barrels per day english. Spot prices for some physical crude grades have neared $150 a barrel, while middle distillates in Singapore have traded above $290 as refiners and traders scramble for supply english. The International Energy Agency estimates global oil stocks fell by 85 million barrels in March alone english.

The shock has rippled through shipping and insurance markets. War‑risk premiums for tankers transiting the Gulf have jumped by more than 1,000% in some cases, from around 0.25% of a vessel’s value to as high as 3%, adding millions of dollars to the cost of a single voyage ynetnews. Around 20,000 seafarers are stranded or affected in the region, according to the International Maritime Organization, which has warned that “fragmented responses are no longer sufficient” and joined a UN‑led task force on the Strait timesofisrael. China, the largest buyer of Hormuz oil, has called for the Strait to be reopened and for an “immediate ceasefire,” while Japan and European allies are weighing mine‑clearing roles only under a UN‑backed ceasefire and clearer legal framework english +1.

The Bigger Picture

The Pentagon’s six‑month timeline underscores how a handful of relatively simple weapons can hold at risk a waterway that once carried a fifth of global oil consumption, and how quickly those risks translate into higher energy and shipping costs worldwide. With mine clearance tied to the trajectory of the U.S.–Iran war and hesitant international support for risky operations, the world is likely to face sustained oil market volatility and elevated transport costs even if a ceasefire is reached. Whether a durable diplomatic arrangement can emerge to secure Hormuz—and who will bear the financial and military burden of keeping it open—will shape not only the outcome of this conflict, but the resilience of global trade against future chokepoint crises.