President Donald Trump reportedly informed Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst during a phone call on Monday that he would consider airstrikes on Oman if the nation obstructs resolution efforts regarding the Iran situation.
“If Oman gets in our way, we will bomb them,” Yingst relayed from the phone conversation, though no audio of these comments has been made available yet.
In his remarks, President Trump seemed to be responding to multiple statements from Iran. He mentioned that an agreement with Oman concerning joint oversight of the Strait of Hormuz is nearing completion. This agreement is supposed to involve both countries collecting “fees” on international shipping and splitting the earnings.
Earlier in June, Iran and Oman’s foreign ministries had announced a new committee aimed at planning the “future management of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” including associated services and relevant fees. Oman had proposed a plan for co-managing the strait, which Iran turned down. One of Iran’s primary concerns was allowing ships to potentially evade Iranian demands by using their territorial waters. Instead, Iran suggested that ships heading out of the Persian Gulf would travel near Oman’s shore, while those coming in would fall under Iranian control.
The U.S. has made its opposition to tolling traffic through critical international waterways quite clear. Trump’s comments suggest his frustration over Oman pursuing an agreement with Iran to manage the strait, even while Oman claims to be a neutral intermediary between the U.S. and Iran.
Furthermore, Trump believes that for the standoff to end, Iran needs to “raise the white flag of surrender,” adding he is willing to wait patiently for this to happen, allowing time for the U.S. blockade to weaken Iran’s economy.
“I don’t have a timetable. I’m in no hurry,” he remarked.
He also noted that the upcoming midterm elections don’t influence his thoughts, addressing beliefs that he might step down before November due to concerns over high gas prices and inflation affecting his party.
Despite Iran’s claims of not wanting to negotiate with the United States, Trump mentioned that the U.S. has a “direct back channel” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for discussions.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Bakaei reiterated that Iran isn’t engaging in talks with the U.S., not even the negotiations expected to occur within 60 days of a memorandum of understanding signed in June.
Bakaei stated that negotiations had not commenced because of significant breaches of the agreement shortly after it was signed, rendering the 60-day timeline moot. Iran later announced it had reached a preliminary agreement on joint management of the Strait of Hormuz, with a “transit route map” forthcoming.
During earlier discussions about the relationship between Oman and Iran, President Trump had made it clear that the strait should remain open to all, asserting that no single entity would control it. He emphasized, “Oman will behave like other countries, or we will have to blow them up. They understand that.”
On Truth Social, Trump stated that ensuring Iran does not develop nuclear weapons remains his primary focus.
