US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened military action against Oman if the country “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, while also demanding that Tehran surrender.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, referring to ongoing discussions between Oman and Iran over future 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 for weeks on maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that the two countries were working towards a joint declaration on the issue.
The development comes as Washington separately pursues negotiations with Tehran over the strategic waterway and the wider conflict in the Middle East.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Strait of Hormuz should be under US control, despite shipping traffic through the waterway remaining severely restricted.
The Strait was effectively closed by Iran at the start of the Middle East war on February 28, according to the report.
On Friday, Trump said he could even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory. Iran rejected the claim, insisting that the strategic waterway it has blockaded “will remain Iranian.”
Before the US-Israeli war against Iran began, the Strait of Hormuz was regarded as an open international waterway.
The waterway is strategically important to the global economy because it carries a significant share of global energy shipments and other commodities. Iran borders the northern side of the Strait, while Oman lies to the south.
Tehran has used its effective control over the waterway as leverage against US-led efforts to weaken its military capabilities and force it to abandon its controversial nuclear programme.
Trump also called on Iran to surrender, saying the country should “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst’s post on X about the interview.
The US president said he was not in a hurry to reach a deal with Tehran, despite the war’s growing political sensitivity in the United States ahead of the November midterm elections.
Trump’s Republican Party faces a challenge from opposition Democrats seeking to regain control of Congress.
Trump also claimed that his administration maintains a direct back-channel with officials of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump was quoted as saying.
The latest remarks further underscore the escalating tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, with negotiations over access to the vital shipping route taking place alongside threats of military action and broader efforts to resolve the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
