WASHINGTON — Removing the mines Iran is believed to have laid in the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months, the Pentagon told members of Congress, even after any U.S.-Iran peace deal is reached.
The process is expected to begin only after the war between the United States and Iran ends, officials said.
BBC Arabic, citing a report in The Washington Post, said a senior U.S. Defense Department official made the comments Tuesday during a closed-door briefing with members of the House Armed Services Committee. Three officials familiar with the briefing confirmed the account.
Two of the three officials said both Democratic and Republican members expressed frustration over the projected timeline. The implication is that even if the United States and Iran reach a peace agreement, energy and oil prices could remain elevated for some time.
The three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the committee was told that Iran may have laid mines in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for Middle East oil transport.
One senior official told Congress that some of the mines had been deployed remotely using GPS technology, which made them difficult for U.S. forces to detect at the time of placement.
Additional mines may have been laid by Iranian forces using small boats, the official said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report