Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman Over Iran Strait of Hormuz Talks

On Monday, US President Donald Trump issued a warning to Oman, stating that he would bomb the country if it obstructed an American agreement with Iran concerning the Strait of Hormuz. In a conversation with Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, Trump remarked, "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s*** out of them," in light of the ongoing discussions between Oman and Iran about the strait's control. Meanwhile, Washington is also engaged in its own negotiations with Tehran. Iranian and Omani officials have been in talks for weeks regarding future maritime navigation, with Iran's foreign ministry announcing earlier Monday a joint declaration was in progress. Trump has consistently claimed that the strait, which Iran effectively closed on February 28 at the onset of the Middle East war, is under US jurisdiction, despite limited traffic. On Friday, he asserted that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, while Iran countered that the vital waterway would "remain Iranian." Prior to the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, the Hormuz strait was viewed as an open, international passageway, facilitating a significant volume of global energy and commodity shipments.