Trump Turns Up Pressure on Oman With Bombing Threat Over Iran Deal

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf ally “gets in the way” of Washington’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran, sharply escalating tensions at a moment when diplomatic efforts over the Strait of Hormuz are already under severe strain.

Trump made the warning in a Fox News interview on Monday as a 60-day US-Iran memorandum of understanding formally expired without producing a lasting agreement. The threat was directed at Oman, which has been holding separate discussions with Iran over how to restore safe commercial shipping through Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy routes.

The extraordinary warning puts Oman in an increasingly difficult position. Muscat has long maintained a reputation as one of the region's most useful diplomatic intermediaries, including between Washington and Tehran. It is also a US ally, making Trump's threat particularly striking because it targets a country that has traditionally helped rather than hindered American diplomacy in the Middle East.

At the centre of the dispute is the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Before the current crisis, roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the strait, giving any prolonged disruption the potential to affect energy prices and economies far beyond the Middle East. Shipping has now slowed dramatically, with Reuters reporting that only a handful of vessels crossed the strait over the weekend.

Oman and Iran have been discussing a mechanism for restoring commercial passage. Tehran has indicated that it is close to finalising an understanding with Muscat that would include arrangements for shipping routes and maritime operations. Washington, however, wants Hormuz reopened under conditions it can accept and has maintained a naval blockade against Iranian ports as part of its pressure campaign.

Trump's latest comments suggest that the disagreement is no longer simply about Iran's control of the waterway. It is becoming a contest over who gets to determine the terms under which international shipping resumes.

The US president has repeatedly insisted that Iran must surrender and has maintained that preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is his central objective. On Monday, he again rejected any suggestion that Washington should accept an arrangement that allows Iran to retain what he regards as unacceptable nuclear capabilities.

The diplomatic framework that was supposed to keep negotiations alive has now expired. The June memorandum established a 60-day period for dialogue and specifically envisaged Iranian discussions with Oman over the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz. The truce associated with the arrangement had already broken down, however, with hostilities resuming before the formal deadline.

That leaves the region facing an uncomfortable combination of military pressure and diplomatic uncertainty.

Iran wants sanctions and other restrictions addressed as part of any settlement, while Washington continues to demand concessions from Tehran. Oman is attempting to bridge the gap, but Trump's warning indicates that even mediation efforts could now become entangled in the confrontation.

The consequences are not confined to the countries directly involved. Oil prices have remained elevated as traders assess the risk of a prolonged Hormuz disruption, with Brent crude hovering around $89 a barrel on Monday. Analysts say prices could remain near that level unless there is either a significant breakthrough in diplomacy or a much larger interruption to global supplies.

For Oman, the threat creates a particularly delicate balancing act. Muscat must maintain its relationship with Washington while continuing talks with Tehran, all without appearing to surrender control of its own diplomatic choices. Any military action against Oman would also risk transforming a confrontation centred on Iran into a much wider Gulf crisis.

There is no indication from the reporting that the United States has announced military action against Oman. Trump's statement was a threat made during an interview, and it remains unclear whether Washington has any operational plan to strike the country.

But the rhetoric itself is significant.

Oman's role has traditionally been that of a bridge between adversaries. If that bridge becomes a target, the room for diplomacy becomes considerably smaller.

And with Hormuz still at the centre of the dispute, the stakes extend well beyond the US, Iran and Oman. A diplomatic breakdown could keep one of the world's most important energy corridors under pressure, while an attack on Oman could transform an already dangerous confrontation into a much broader regional crisis.

vidIQ