United States President, Donald Trump, has reportedly threatened military action against Oman if the Gulf nation interferes with Washington’s efforts to negotiate with Iran over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The reported warning came as Oman continued its diplomatic efforts with Tehran to restore shipping through the strategically important waterway, which has remained largely closed for nearly six months amid the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
According to Fox News, Trump issued the warning during a telephone interview, accusing Oman of potentially obstructing the US-led negotiations.
Fox reporter Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”
The reported threat came shortly after Iranian officials said Tehran and Oman had reached an understanding on a route that would allow ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route”.
He said the two sides would work out the remaining details before releasing a joint statement.
Oman, which lies along the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz, has maintained that it is neutral in the conflict and has taken on a central diplomatic role in efforts to reopen the waterway.
The Strait is critical to global energy markets, with roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally passing through it.
Trump claims IRGC backchannel
During the same interview, Trump also claimed that his administration maintained a direct communication channel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The IRGC, a powerful military and political organisation in Iran, rejected the claim.
An IRGC spokesman told the semi-official Tasnim News, “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.”
The dispute comes as uncertainty surrounds the future of a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran.
The agreement, signed on 18 June, was intended to support a ceasefire and facilitate at least a partial reopening of the Strait.
However, the arrangement subsequently broke down as military exchanges resumed.
Trump later declared the ceasefire “over” after renewed fighting and issued increasingly strong criticism of Iran’s leadership.
Iran seeks compensation
Iran has previously indicated that reopening the Strait fully would depend on receiving compensation from the United States for what Tehran considers breaches of the agreement.
Reuters, citing an Iranian official, reported that Tehran was seeking fees ranging between five and seven per cent of cargo values from vessels using the waterway.
Trump, meanwhile, has said he is not under pressure to end the conflict.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” he was quoted as saying. “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry.”
As the agreement approached its formal expiry, Trump reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remained his administration’s central objective.
“The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon.”
The latest developments have increased uncertainty around efforts to restore commercial shipping through the Strait, while Oman’s role as a mediator between Washington and Tehran faces growing pressure.
