‘Will bomb the sh*t out of Oman’: Frustrated over Strait of Hormuz blockade, Trump issues latest threat

New Delhi: The United States president, Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf nation interferes with efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating tensions with a country that has long served as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran. His warning came as the 60-day window under the US-Iran memorandum of understanding expired without a comprehensive settlement, leaving the future of the conflict and the strategically vital waterway uncertain.

Trump, speaking to Fox News on Monday, said Iran should “put up the white flag of surrender” but insisted he was not working towards any immediate deadline. “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry,” he said, while also dismissing concerns that the continuing conflict could affect the US midterm elections. During the interview, Trump also warned: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”

The US president also said his administration had a direct backchannel with officials of IRGC, despite the organization being one of the principal targets of US and Israeli military operations. Describing the IRGC leadership as “good poker players”, Trump added that “they’re dying”.

Why is Trump angry with Oman?

Trump’s anger is closely linked to Oman’s role in talks with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran and Muscat are working on a mechanism to manage commercial shipping through the waterway, including how cargo vessels would be permitted to transit and whether fees could be charged for passage.

Oman has proposed regional management of the strait with voluntary transit fees, while Iran has pushed for a system in which it retains greater control and can charge ships using the waterway. Reports has reported that the issue of control and payment for transit has become one of the major sticking points in efforts to restore normal shipping through Hormuz.

The proposed arrangement has gained urgency because shipping through the strait remains heavily restricted. The waterway carries around a fifth of global seaborne oil supplies and has become a major pressure point in the wider US-Iran conflict.

Trump wants the strait reopened as part of any broader settlement with Tehran. Iran, however, has linked the reopening to wider demands involving the US blockade, sanctions and implementation of the June understanding. Tehran and Oman were reported to be close to finalizing an interim mechanism on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

The threat came as Oman was engaged in talks with Iran over a mechanism to manage commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The warning is particularly significant because Oman has maintained close security ties with Washington while also serving as an important diplomatic channel between the US and Iran.

The latest warning comes after Trump had already threatened Oman over the Hormuz issue earlier in the conflict. His administration has also increasingly pressed for the waterway to be reopened, while Iran has maintained that it will determine the conditions for resuming normal passage.

Trump dismisses weapons stockpile concerns

Trump also rejected concerns about the impact of the prolonged Iran war on US weapons reserves, saying the weapons used so far were ‘peanuts’ compared with the US stockpile. He claimed Washington still had substantial reserves of what he described as mid-level weapons.

He separately reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains his “number one goal”. Reuters reported on Monday that Iran was warning of further escalation if Washington failed to implement the interim understanding within weeks.

The latest escalation follows a series of increasingly aggressive statements from both sides. As reported earlier by RNA Media, Iran’s army chief, Major General Amir Hatami, had issued a warning of retaliation against US forces during the conflict, amid Tehran’s broader campaign of threats against American military personnel and assets