US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, a longtime US ally, if the Gulf state “gets in the way” of Washington’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the threat during an interview with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst on Monday, according to Yingst. Referring to Oman’s ongoing negotiations with Iran,
Trump said: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”
The extraordinary warning comes as Oman has taken a central role in negotiations with Iran over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
What is the Iran-Oman deal?
Iranian and Omani officials have been negotiating a mechanism that would allow commercial ships to safely travel through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been heavily restricted during the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran and Oman had reached an “understanding” on the map of the transit route. He said the two sides were working to finalise the remaining details before issuing a joint statement.
The agreement is not necessarily a full reopening of the strait. Iran has continued to link the wider reopening of the waterway to its demands in negotiations with the United States.
The Strait of Hormuz is particularly important because roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the waterway. Its disruption has therefore created major international concerns over energy supplies, shipping and fuel prices.
Why is Trump threatening Oman?
The threat appears to be connected to Washington’s competing efforts to secure control and access through the Strait of Hormuz.
While Oman has been negotiating directly with Iran, the United States has been pursuing its own efforts to reopen the waterway. Trump has made clear that Washington wants unrestricted shipping through the strait, while Iran maintains significant control over the area.
Trump’s warning therefore appears to be directed at any Omani agreement or action that he believes could undermine US objectives.
It remains unclear, however, what specifically Trump would consider Oman “getting in the way.” No concrete Omani action has been publicly identified as the trigger for the threat.
The threat is particularly striking because Oman is formally a US partner and has historically served as an important diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran.
The separate US-Iran deal is also expiring
Trump’s threat came as a separate 60-day Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran expired on Monday without producing a broader agreement.
The memorandum, signed in June, was intended to provide a framework for negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and addressing issues including Iran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz. Trump was asked whether he wanted to extend the agreement and answered “No.”
Trump has previously said the agreement was effectively over, while Iran has described it as suspended. The expiration leaves the future of direct US-Iran negotiations uncertain.
At the same time, Trump said he was not in a hurry to end the conflict, describing Iranian leaders as “good poker players” but saying they were “dying” and that he had “no time schedule.”
A new diplomatic crisis for Oman
Oman’s position is becoming increasingly difficult. The country has attempted to maintain its role as a neutral mediator while also suffering attacks during the conflict.
Now, as Muscat works with Tehran on a possible mechanism for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Washington is warning that Oman could face military action if its negotiations interfere with American objectives.
For now, Iran and Oman appear to be moving forward with their own arrangement, with Tehran saying the transit-route map has been agreed in principle and that final details are being worked out.
Trump’s threat adds another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile situation: the US-Iran memorandum has expired, Washington and Tehran remain divided, Iran and Oman are negotiating their own Hormuz arrangement, and the United States is now openly warning its own Gulf ally against taking actions that Washington considers contrary to its interests.
