President Donald Trump reportedly threatened to bomb Oman — a U.S. ally — if it interferes with his administration’s negotiations with Iran, Fox News has reported.
The United States and Oman have each been holding separate discussions with Tehran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane for the global economy that has been largely closed for nearly six months amid the U.S.-Iran conflict.
A Fox reporter said the president made the threat during a phone interview and used an expletive. Iranian officials earlier said they were close to finalising an agreement with Oman, even as a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran is due to expire, leaving the future of bilateral talks uncertain.
Since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz — through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally moves — making its reopening a central aim of diplomatic efforts.
Oman, which borders the southern side of the Strait, describes itself as neutral in the conflict. The country has endured a number of strikes attributed to Iran and has taken a leading role in negotiations with Tehran to restore passage through the waterway.
Fox reporter Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”
During the same interview, Trump also claimed the U.S. maintained a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful force in Iran’s military, economy and politics. An IRGC spokesman denied the claim, telling the semi-official Tasnim News Agency: “There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans, and this lie by Trump is merely fantasies caused by the delusions and nightmares he has suffered as a result of defeat and desperation in the war.”
