US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf country interferes with Washington’s efforts to reach a deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the threat on Monday during an interview with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, amid separate talks between Oman and Iran over arrangements for navigation through the strategic waterway.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Yingst, according to the journalist’s account of the interview.
Iranian and Omani officials have reportedly been holding talks on future maritime navigation arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying Monday that the two sides were working on a joint declaration.
Trump, however, has repeatedly asserted that the strategic waterway is under US control, despite Iran’s effective closure of the strait following the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28.
The US president had on Friday said he could declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory after the conflict, a position rejected by Tehran, which insists that the waterway “will remain Iranian.”
Before the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was regarded as an international waterway and served as a major transit route for global energy shipments and other commodities.
Iran’s effective control of the strait has provided Tehran with significant leverage in its confrontation with Washington, particularly as the US seeks to pressure the Iranian government over its nuclear programme.
Iran borders the northern side of the Strait of Hormuz, while Oman lies along its southern side.
Trump also demanded that Iran surrender, telling Yingst that Tehran should “put up the white flag of surrender.” He also said he was in no hurry to reach a deal with Iran, despite mounting political pressure over the war ahead of the November midterm elections in the United States.
The president confirmed that his administration maintains a direct back-channel with officials of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump was quoted as saying.
Trump’s comments came as the negotiating window for a broader US-Iran agreement reached a critical stage, with Washington continuing to demand guarantees that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons.
