President Donald Trump issued a blunt, unmistakable warning to Oman — a longtime U.S. partner — after reports that Muscat had held talks with Iran about charging fees for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday at the White House, Trump dismissed an Iranian state-media report claiming Oman and Iran were discussing joint management of shipping in the strategically vital waterway.
Iran has militarized parts of the strait in response to the U.S. and Israel’s offensive that began the war on Feb. 28. Control of the Strait of Hormuz, whose channels run through both Omani and Iranian territorial waters, has been a central obstacle in talks aimed at ending the three-month conflict. The effective closure of the strait has driven energy prices sharply higher and disrupted global trade in oil and other commodities. U.S. efforts — including a naval blockade of Iranian ports — have not yet fully restored commercial passage.
“The Strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump told reporters. “It’s international waters, and Oman will behave just like everybody else—or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that; they’ll be fine.”
Oman, a strategic U.S. partner for more than fifty years, has played a discreet but crucial role as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. Earlier in the conflict, Iran also struck at Oman and other Gulf states that host U.S. military bases in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli actions.
Some observers suggested Trump may have misspoken and intended to refer to Iran. The apparent slip mirrors an earlier gaffe in which he said Venezuela—targeted by a U.S. raid in January—”no longer has a navy, no longer has an air force, and no longer has a lot of people that were leading the country,” a remark that seemed to be about Iran rather than Venezuela.