Will Strait Of Hormuz Open This Year? What Report Said

The Pentagon's assessment points to potentially long-lasting economic consequences, as the critical trade artery carried a fifth of the world's oil during peacetime.

23 Apr 2026, 05:30 · NDTV

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The Strait of Hormuz may remain nonfunctional for at least six months after the war ends due to Iranian mines
Pentagon informed Congress that clearing mines requires a lengthy, complex operation unlikely before war's end
Iran reportedly placed 20 or more mines using boats and GPS technology, complicating detection and removal

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Even if the war between the US, Israel and Iran ends now, the economically critical Strait of Hormuz-- now subject to dual US and Iranian blockades-- could not be fully functional for the better part of this year, according to a new report. It could take at least six months to clear the Hormuz seabed of Iranian mines fully, and any such operation is unlikely to be carried out until the war in the Middle East ends, the Pentagon has reportedly informed the US Congress.

The estimates were relayed to lawmakers during a closed-door congressional briefing earlier this week, three sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The Pentagon's assessment points to potentially long-lasting economic consequences, as the critical trade artery carried 20 per cent of the world's oil during peacetime.

Beyond economic ramifications, the prolonged closure of Homuz could also have significant implications politically in the United States, especially for Trump's Republican Party, as midterm elections, scheduled in November, draw near. Recent polls have shown that most Americans don't approve of Trump's decision to start the war in Iran. The American action has even fractured the Republican president's MAGA (Make America Great Again) political base, which voted him into office for the second term, based in part on his pledge to avoid foreign military entanglements and focus more on domestic issues.

How Many Iranian Mines Are There In Hormuz

According to The Post report, the Pentagon official told lawmakers that Iran may have emplaced 20 or more mines in and around the vital waterway. Some were placed using a boat, while others were set afloat using GPS-guided technology, making them difficult for the US forces to detect.

Recently, The New York Times reported, citing US officials, that Iran was unable to find the mines it laid in the Hormuz Strait and does not have the capacity to remove the explosives. The officials claimed it was one of the reasons preventing Iran from allowing more traffic through the waterway.

The US military, on April 6, announced that it had "begun setting conditions for clearing mines in the strait", with two Navy guided-missile destroyers conducting operations.

The process of clearing mines consists of hunting for the explosive, disarming it and then sweeping it off the waterbed.

What Pentagon Said

When contacted by The Post, the Pentagon called the outlet's reporting "inaccurate".

"By deciding to publish these false claims, the Washington Post has made clear they care more about advancing an agenda than the truth," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The Hormuz Hurdle In Peace

Before the war started, about 20 per cent of global oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) passed through the strait, with most Asian nations, including China and India, among those heavily reliant on Middle Eastern energy.

Iran declared it closed and even attacked some as a way of inflicting pain on the global economy and the Trump administration after the US and Israel launched a war against Tehran. Later, the US also blocked the shipping traffic to the Iranian port in the Strait.

The stifling of shipping traffic in the waterway has emerged as an enduring flashpoint between Washington and Tehran as each presses their demands to end the war.

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