, April 24 -- The United States Department of Defense has rejected media reports suggesting that reopening the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months, accusing news outlets of misrepresenting classified information.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, speaking to the BBC, said claims that clearing mines from the vital waterway would take months were not accurate.

"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," he said.

Parnell also criticised reports based on leaked classified briefings, calling them misleading.

"The media cherry-picking leaked information, much of which is false, from a classified, close...