The Pentagon warned Congress that clearing the Strait of Hormuz could take six months, despite President Donald Trump’s insistence just days ago that Iran was removing all the mines from the critical oil passage.
The dire assessment on the longer timeline was shared with House lawmakers during a classified briefing on Tuesday, The Washington Post reported.
It suggests that oil and gas prices could remain high through the summer and into the fall, right as voters are heading to the polls for the midterms, even if a peace deal is reached.
According to three officials who spoke to The Post, lawmakers were told Iran may have placed 20 mines in or around the Strait of Hormuz, either remotely using GPS technology or by Iranians forces using small boats.
This could make it incredibly dangerous for the U.S. military as it seeks to regain control in the vital waterway, where a standoff between the two warring sides has caused a global oil crisis and more pain at the pump for consumers.
The national average for a gallon of regular gas hit $3.99 on Wednesday, according to GasBuddy.com. This was down slightly from earlier this month, but still over $1 more per gallon from before the war began.
While Trump has insisted gas prices will come down “very soon,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that Americans might not see $3 gas again until late September.
The Pentagon’s dire prediction about the Strait of Hormuz did not help on Wednesday as the White House sought to assuage concerns that the war was spiraling out of control.
Speaking as the conflict entered another day—with no clear end in sight— Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the U.S. “maintains control over the situation” and “leverage over the Iranian regime.”
She added that America’s naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continued, with Iran losing an estimated $500 million a day because “they can’t move oil or pay their own people.”
“Not only have they been significantly weakened and obliterated militarily, but they are losing economically and financially every single moment that passes with this blockade,” Leavitt told reporters.
Leavitt’s comments came one day after the president was forced to announce an indefinite ceasefire with Iran after peace talks were derailed.
The move was a major reversal for Trump, who had repeatedly insisted that he had no desire to extend the ceasefire and was on the brink of making a “great deal” with Iran.
Iran, meanwhile, insists it has the upper hand. According to the nation’s news media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran said it had seized two cargo ships on Wednesday near the Strait of Hormuz—a sign that neither side was willing to give up control in the critical waterway.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said that while Iran was still willing to engage in talks, the U.S. blockade and Trump’s threats were the primary barriers to genuine negotiations.
Iran has also relentlessly mocked Trump through memes and AI-generated videos, much to the annoyance of the White House.
The latest one, which went viral on Wednesday, shows Trump, Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at a conference table, sitting opposite empty chairs representing the Iranian negotiation team.
After waiting at the table for ages, the AI-generated Trump angrily declares: “If Iran doesn’t come to the negotiating table, we’re going to bomb them!”
Eventually, an aide hands him a note saying, “Shut Up, Trump.”
The president then announces the ceasefire, suggesting it was Pakistan’s idea—just as he did when the indefinite ceasefire was announced on Tuesday.
Asked about Iran’s trolling of the president, Leavitt told reporters: “What they say publicly is much different than what they concede to the United States and our negotiating team privately.
“You should take our word for it,” she added.
