It could take six months to clear all the mines from the Strait of Hormuz.

That's where we're starting The Seven from the Washington Post.

I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Thursday, April 23rd.

Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories.

Our first story today is a post-exclusive.

After the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran at the end of February, the Iranian

military began deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

As you have probably heard many times by now, the Strait of Hormuz is a critical

shipping lane, and its closure during this war has sent energy prices soaring around the world.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon informed Congress that it could take at least half a year for those mines

to be cleared. And such an operation would be unlikely to begin until the U.S.

war with Iran actually ends. That's according to three officials familiar with the discussion.

It means the conflict's economic impact could extend late into this year or beyond,

and specifically that gas prices could remain elevated in the U.S. through the midterm

elections in November. President Donald Trump's decision to start the war is unpopular with most

Americans, and it has fractured his political base, which voted him into office based in part

on his repeated promises to avoid foreign military entanglements.

Navy Secretary John Phelan was forced out after clashing with Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth.

That's our second story.

Phelan is a billionaire art collector and was a major fundraiser for President Trump's re-election campaign. For the past 13 months,

he has served as Navy Secretary. But last night, officials announced his abrupt exit from the Trump

administration. Five officials said Phelan was forced out after repeated clashes with Hegseth over his management

...