Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Iran strait deal
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- Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst the US would bomb Oman if it "gets in the way," widening public pressure beyond Iran to the Gulf sultanate mediating shipping talks over the Strait of Hormuz; Oman has not publicly commented.
- Oman is close to a deal with Iran on strait management that would route ships entering the Persian Gulf through Iranian-controlled waters and exiting through Omani waters, contingent on the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.
- The US-Iran 60-day interim agreement ended this week without an extension; Trump says no talks are planned, while Iran has fired at ships on a US-backed route near Oman's coast.
- Oman's military ties to the US are smaller in scale than neighbors like the UAE, and its prior mediation role in the standoff is now being driven by Qatar and Pakistan instead.
- Egypt's foreign minister, after a Tuesday meeting with Oman's counterpart, said the Iranian-Omani deal could help the US and Tehran return to negotiations for a "comprehensive and permanent deal" on regional security.
Why it matters: Trump's bomb threat against a US-allied Gulf mediator forces Oman to choose between complying with Washington or finalizing a strait deal that would route Persian Gulf traffic through Iranian-controlled waters and include shipping fees. With the 60-day interim agreement expired and no US-Iran talks planned, the Oman-Iran channel is the only confirmed diplomatic track left on the waterway.
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