Pentagon denies media report claiming six-month timeline to clear Iran mines in Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false on Thursday a news report saying that the department assessed it could take six months to completely clear of Iranian-laid mines.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon shared the six-month estimate during a classified briefing for the members of the House Armed Services Committee, citing three unidentified officials familiar with the discussion.Asked about the report, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said “the media cherry picking leaked information, much of which is false, from a classified, closed briefing is dishonest journalism.”

“One assessment does not mean the assessment is plausible, and a six-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an impossibility and completely unacceptable to the Secretary,” Parnell told AFP on Thursday.

Lawmakers were told that Iran could have placed 20 or more mines in and around the strait, some floated remotely using GPS technology that makes them harder to detect,according to the Washington Post.Only a few ships trickled through when the Hormuz strait briefly reopened at the start of the ceasefire this month because of concerns about attacks or mines.

The US Navy said this month its ships transited the waterway to begin removing the mines but that claim was denied by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which threatened any military vessels attempting to cross the channel.

London hosted talks with military planners from more than 30 countries starting on Wednesday about a UK and France-led multinational mission to protect navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned of a “danger zone” covering 1,400 square kilometres -– 14 times the size of Paris –- where mines may be present.