Hegseth does not deny that clearing mines may take 6 months –

Washington: President Donald Trump said the US Navy is removing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea route for oil shipments whose disruption increasingly threatens the global economy.Experts say the search for underwater explosives could take months despite a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran in the weeks-long war. Any future claims that the United States has cleared the waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil normally passes may fail to convince commercial shipping companies and their insurance companies that the waterway is finally safe. “You don’t even have to have planted mines, you just have to make people think you planted mines,” said Emma Salisbury, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s National Security Program.Pentagon officials recently told U.S. lawmakers that it would likely take six months to remove mines that Iran planted in the strait, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. This information was provided during a classified briefing in the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.When Defense Minister Pete Hegseth was asked about the estimates, he told reporters on Friday that the military would not speculate on a timeline, but did not deny it.

“That is allegedly what was said,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon news conference. “But we feel confident in our ability, in the appropriate amount of time, to clear any mines we identify.”Adm. Brad Cooper, the top US commander in the Middle East, recently told reporters that the military would work to remove mines from the strait. He did not provide details. There is no indication that the US military is using warships, its most prominent mine-clearing asset, in the strait now.But the Navy also has divers and small teams of explosive ordnance disposal technicians in the area who are able to clear mines. It is a less obvious target than a large warship. Experts also say that some demining equipment could be transported from ships and deployed from land. One expert adds that planting mines is easier for Iran than finding them.