Pentagon denies clearing mines will take six months
AFP | Washington
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com
The Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false yesterday a news report saying that the department assessed it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon shared the six-month estimate during a classified briefing for the members of the House Armed Services Committee, citing three unidentified officials familiar with the discussion.
Asked about the report, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said “the media cherry picking leaked information, much of which is false, from a classified, closed briefing is dishonest journalism.”
“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,” Parnell told AFP on Thursday.
Lawmakers were told that Iran could have placed 20 or more mines in and around the strait, some floated remotely using GPS technology that makes them harder to detect, according to the Washington P ost.
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