According to the BBC, the Pentagon has hit out against media reports that US forces may need six months to clear the Strait of Hormuz of any mines that pose a threat to shipping.

“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,” Pentagon Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell tells the BBC.

“The media cherry-picking leaked information, much of which is false, from a classified, closed briefing is dishonest journalism.”

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