It ain't open 'til it's open...
Forty Days Before the First Barrel Moves
Five Western maritime security sources, cited by STL.News and investingLive on June 15, estimated that mine clearance operations would take 40 to 50 days before commercial confidence returned. A Kpler Middle East analyst offered a “more conservative” assessment — six months for a comprehensive sweep. Both estimates assume cooperative conditions. The sources did not define what cooperative conditions would look like, because no precedent exists for the mining state conducting its own clearance under a bilateral agreement with the state that bombed it.
The Pentagon’s classified estimate, shared with the House Armed Services Committee in April, projected up to six months with three dedicated vessels already in the region. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell publicly denied the figure, calling it “dishonest journalism” based on “cherry-picked” information from a closed-door briefing. The denial did not include an alternative timeline. No US official has offered a public estimate for when commercial shipping can safely resume.
Hormuz mine clearance will take 40 days to 6 months, leaving Saudi Arabia's 5.5M bpd exports stranded. At $83/bbl vs $108 breakeven, the daily cost is $194M.
houseofsaud.com