Strait of Hormuz Can Be Opened Without Having to Clear All Mines

JAKARTA - Not all mines placed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz need to be removed so that ships can return to crossing the vital route, said US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday.

"You just need a lane for the ship to move in and out," Wright said in an interview on the sidelines of the "Three Seas Summit and Business Forum" in Dubrovnik, Croatia, launching Al Arabiya from Bloomberg (28/4).

"I think it could happen quickly," he said.

Iran says it has laid mines along the most frequently used routes in the narrow waterway, through which passes about a fifth of the world's oil and gas before the US and Israel launched a war against the Mullah's country.

The strait has been effectively closed since late February, causing massive supply disruptions and a spike in prices of oil and products such as diesel and gasoline.

Shipping companies are very reluctant to try to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, for fear of being seized, mined, and lack of other safety guarantees.

Previously, the Washington Post reported that a full clearance of the Strait of Hormuz from mines could take six months.

The longer the Strait of Hormuz is closed, the longer the historic energy disruption will continue. In the US, a spike in fuel prices comes months before President Donald Trump's Republican party faces midterm elections.