By Evaristo Lara
The Pentagon denied a report published in the newspaper The Washington Submit where sources close to the government allegedly raised the possibility of keeping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz closed for at least half a year.
The argument allegedly has to do with the mines systematically placed by the Iranian navy on the seabed, which are segregated and put at risk the navigation of ships that usually transit between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
Since March 11, it had already been revealed that Iran had deployed nearly a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Weeks later, the Revolutionary Guards themselves, Iran’s ideological army, reported that the explosive devices were located in an area covering 1,400 km², a delicate situation to navigate given the imminent risk of encountering a mine.
Therefore, Since February 28, when the United States began bombing Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked for most of the vessels, a situation that generated an energy crisis, since a fifth of the crude oil traded worldwide used to be transported there.
In this way, the war that began under the premise of preventing Iran from enriching uranium to manufacture nuclear bombs, mutated and is now linked to oil and its transit through the aforementioned strait.
The point of controversy is that keeping it closed for more than two months has caused a very severe impact on the world economy.
Thus, with the aim of avoiding further speculation that would impact the price of a barrel of oil, Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, stated in a statement announced by the news network NewsNation that the report published by the newspaper The Washington Submit presented an unacceptable scenario starter for Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense.
“The report is cherry-picking leaked information, much of which is false.
As we said in March, an assessment does not mean it is plausible, and a six-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz is impossible and completely unacceptable,” part of the letter states.
It should be noted that both the Iranian government and the United States Central Command (Centcom) maintain a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz without any indication that this may end soon.
Keep reading:
• Trump orders shooting at Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz
• The Pentagon warns that demining the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months
• Iran attacks and seizes ships in Hormuz and raises tension despite extended truce
