Trump Threatens Oman Over Strait of Hormuz Talks as Iran Deal Push Heats Up
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to bomb Oman if it blocks talks tied to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to bomb Oman if it blocks talks tied to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries a large share of global energy shipments. He made the remark in a phone interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst.
The warning lands as Washington and Tehran try to shape a deal around the strait’s future, adding fresh strain to an already volatile Middle East file. Trump also told reporters later in the Oval Office that he did not think Oman had “behaved very well,” but said the U.S. would handle the matter “very easily.”
Trump raises the stakes
Yingst later relayed Trump’s language on air, saying the president responded to questions about talks between Oman and Iran over the status of the strait. According to the interview as described by Yingst, Trump said: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s--- out of them.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the remarks. The exchange came after the president was asked to expand on his comments while speaking to reporters at the White House.
Trump has also pushed Iran to surrender, according to reporting from the live coverage of the day’s developments.
Why the strait matters
Oman sits near the Strait of Hormuz and borders Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Iranian and Omani officials have been talking for weeks about future maritime navigation arrangements through the shipping route, while Washington has been pursuing its own talks, too.
Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday that Tehran had reached an agreement with Oman on a plan for traffic in the waterway. On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry said the two sides were working on a joint declaration.
That makes the issue more than a bilateral spat. Any shift in control or rules around the strait can ripple through shipping, energy markets and the wider regional balance. The route is a pressure point, and everyone knows it.
Tehran pushes back
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that a 60-day deadline included in a June memorandum of understanding was “irrelevant” because, he said, the U.S. had violated the deal early on. Reuters and other outlets reported that Monday marked the end of that 60-day period.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the Strait of Hormuz is under U.S. control, even as traffic through the waterway remains heavily constrained. On Friday, he said he would even declare the strait part of U.S. territory. Iran answered that the vital energy route “will remain Iranian.”
The dispute comes as the region remains tense and the diplomatic track is still shifting. For now, the loudest signal from Washington is blunt. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s--- out of them,” Trump said.
