Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman — a longstanding American ally and key broker in current Iran peace talks — during a chaotic White House Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, in remarks that left observers struggling to determine whether the President had misspoken or was making a deliberate threat against a friendly nation.
The extraordinary moment came as Trump was responding to a reporter’s question about who would control the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil passage that has been closed since Iran shut it following US and Israeli airstrikes in late February. The strait, which in normal times carries one fifth of the world’s oil supply, remains one of the central sticking points in ongoing peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Trump initially said the strait would be “open to everybody” and that no single country would control it. “We will watch over it,” he said. He then turned his attention to Oman, delivering a statement that prompted immediate confusion. “Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine,” the President said.
It remains entirely unclear whether Trump misspoke, intended the remark as a joke or was making a deliberate statement of intent. The White House did not immediately clarify the comments.
The target of the remarks is a country with deep and longstanding ties to the United States. Oman has served as a US defence partner in the Middle East since 1980 and has a well-established record as a trusted back-channel between Washington and Tehran. The sultanate played a significant behind-the-scenes role in brokering the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and is currently helping facilitate negotiations aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict — making Trump’s threat all the more bewildering to those following the diplomatic process.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is considered essential to any lasting agreement, with the closure having sent shockwaves through global energy markets since it began. Whether Tuesday’s remarks will complicate Oman’s continued involvement in the mediation effort remains to be seen.
