Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it gets in way of Iran deal: report

Iranian and Omani officials have been talking for weeks on future maritime navigation arrangements through the shipping route, and the foreign ministry in Tehran stated earlier on Monday that the two sides were working on a joint declaration.

However, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the strait — which Tehran effectively closed at the start of the Middle East war on February 28 — is under US control despite traffic remaining throttled.

While Iran retorted that the crucial energy waterway it has blockaded “will remain Iranian”, on Friday, Trump claimed that he would even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory.

Prior to the launch of the US-Israeli war against Iran, the strait was considered an open, international waterway. As well as other commodities, it carries significant portions of global energy shipments.

What happened

Tehran has used its effective seizing of control over the strait as leverage against the US-led attempts to destroy its military and force it to abandon its nuclear power programme.

Iran’s coast flanks the north side of the Hormuz, and Oman lies on the south.

According to Trump also, iran should “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst’s post on X on his interview with the president.

Trump insisted that he was in no hurry to reach a deal despite the deep unpopularity of the war among Americans ahead of November midterm elections in the United States, with opposition Democrats seeking to take control of Congress from Trump’s Republicans.

The details

Trump told Yingst that there is a direct back-channel between his administration and office-holders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. “They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” he was quoted as saying.