US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened military action against Oman if it obstructed Washington’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, while also calling on Tehran to surrender.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, referring to separate negotiations between Iran and Oman over future navigation arrangements in the strategically important waterway.
Iranian and Omani officials have been holding talks for several weeks, with Tehran saying earlier Monday that the two countries were working towards a joint declaration on maritime navigation.
The discussions are taking place alongside Washington’s own efforts to reach an agreement concerning the strait, which has seen shipping severely restricted since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday, he went further by suggesting that the waterway could be declared US territory, a claim rejected by Tehran, which insisted the strait would “remain Iranian.”
Before the current conflict, Hormuz operated as an international shipping route and served as one of the world’s most important passages for oil, gas and other commodities. Iran controls the northern coastline of the strait, while Oman lies along its southern side.
Tehran has used its ability to restrict maritime traffic through Hormuz as strategic leverage in its confrontation with Washington, as the US seeks to curb Iran’s military capabilities and nuclear programme.
Trump also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst’s account of the interview.
Despite growing domestic opposition to the conflict ahead of the November US midterm elections, Trump said he was in no rush to conclude negotiations.
The president also claimed that his administration was maintaining a direct back channel with officials from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, while portraying Tehran as increasingly weakened by the conflict.