Washington, April 23 -- The Pentagon has warned US lawmakers that clearing of naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months, raising the prospect of prolonged disruption to global energy supplies to all time high.
According to officials familiar with a classified briefing to members of the House Armed Services Committee, the timeline reflects the complexity of removing naval mines believed to have been deployed by Iran since the start of the war in late February.
Lawmakers were told Tehran may have placed at least 20 mines in and around the strait, some equipped with GPS-enabled systems that allow them to drift or be remotely positioned - making detection and clearance far more difficult.
As per the Pentagon assessment,...