Pentagon rejects report clearing Strait of Hormuz would take 6 months

His comments come the same day that President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered a "tripling" of mine sweeping operations in the waterway.

Published: April 23, 2026 11:44am

The Pentagon on Thursday rejected a report from the Washington Post that indicated it would take six months to clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines.

The U.S. Navy has worked to remove mines from the critical waterway amid the ongoing ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, while maintaining a blockade of the Strait. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell criticized the Post report, telling NewsNation that it was “cherry picking leaked information, much of which is false.”

His comments come the same day that President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered a "tripling" of mine sweeping operations in the waterway.

"Additionally, our mine 'sweepers' are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!" he said.

"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," Parnell added.

The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, in part due to the U.S. blockade of the waterway.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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