The Pentagon on Thursday denied a Washington Post report that said the department had assessed it would take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines.

The newspaper reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon shared the six-month estimate during a classified briefing for members of the House Armed Services Committee, citing three unidentified officials familiar with the discussion.

Iran has vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States blockades its ports, with the blocked waterway sharply driving up oil and gas prices and disrupting the global economy.

Asked about the report, 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.

While strikes around the region have mostly ceased since a two-week-old truce began, there has been no letup in the stand-off over the crucial trade route, with both sides seeking economic leverage — only for Trump to announce an indefinite ceasefire Tuesday to create space for more Pakistani-mediated talks.

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 Post.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned of a “danger zone” covering 1,400 square kilometers (540 square miles) where mines may be present.

A spokesman for German transportation giant Hapag-Lloyd cautioned last week that shippers needed details on viable routes because they remain fearful of mines.

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© The Times of Israel