following a reopening deal for the strait of hormuz, conventional minesweepers and underwater drones may need 40-50 days to clear mines, potentially delaying tens of millions of barrels of oil while global stockpiles sit at historically low levels. the chokepoint's physical clearance timeline, not a diplomatic decision, becomes the binding constraint on oil movement. the gap between a political 'reopening' and the slow physical work of demining is the unusual structural feature.