The Pentagon has firmly dismissed media reports claiming that U.S. forces could require up to six months to clear the Strait of Hormuz of naval mines in the event of a crisis.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the BBC that such assessments were based on misleading interpretations of leaked and classified information, calling the idea of a prolonged closure of the Strait “impossible and completely unacceptable” to the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
He further criticized the reporting, stating that selectively using fragments of classified briefings leads to inaccurate conclusions and described parts of the coverage as “dishonest journalism.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes, and any disruption to its operation would have major global economic and security implications.
