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

Key points

• WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of a US deal…
• While Iran retorted that the crucial energy waterway it has blockaded "will remain Iranian.", on Friday, Trump claimed that he…
• Trump told Yingst that there is a direct back-channel between his administration and office-holders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
• Prior to the launch of the US-Israeli war against Iran, the Hormuz strait was considered an open, international waterway.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and called on Iran to surrender.

While Washington is also pursuing its own negotiations, “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, referring to ongoing negotiations between Oman and Iran on control of the strait.

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 Monday that the two sides were working on a joint declaration.

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

What happened

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 Hormuz strait was considered an open, international waterway. As well as other commodities, it carries significant portions of global energy shipments.

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 a controversial nuclear power program.

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

The details

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.

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.