President Donald Trump’s new warning to Oman comes as the country continues talks with Iran on access to the Strait of Hormuz — though not necessarily on terms the US would welcome.
Trump threatened “bomb the sh*t out of” Oman if it gets in the way of a deal with Iran; in fact, Oman remains active as a mediator between the two warring countries.
A US official told Semafor there’s concern that “Oman and Iran may cut a deal where there’s a tolling scheme” for the strait, and that any such deal could bypass the US.
“Most countries in the region would be fine with that,” the official said. “But Trump really wants to say he opened up the strait without a direct toll.”
Trump told reporters that Oman hasn’t “behaved very well” but added that the US has “handled them very easily.”
The US-Iran memorandum of understanding is set to expire Monday.