Donald Trump has threatened to “blow up” Oman if it fails to “behave” in a casual aside during a cabinet meeting, as the US scrambles to reopen the strait of Hormuz. The US president made the threat after reports of talks between Iran and Oman about jointly charging a toll for ships passing through the crucial waterway, which has been all but closed since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. “The strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump declared on Tuesday. “Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it. But nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have.” The strait – which typically carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies – has been blockaded by Iran since late February, triggering a global energy crisis and raising fears for the world economy. Tehran wants to persuade Oman, a US ally, to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels transiting through the strait, the Associated Press has reported in recent days, citing a regional official. “They would like to control it,” said Trump, who stressed the strait is part of international waters. In an extraordinary threat, he added: “Oman will behave just like everybody else. Or else we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.” Trump’s efforts in recent weeks to strike a peace deal with Iran have so far failed to bear fruit. During Wednesday’s meeting, he accused Iran of trying to stall the agreement and “outwait me” until November’s midterm elections in the US. When Trump signaled he was on the verge of a deal at the weekend, Republican hawks who had strongly backed his controversial decision to order war on Iran alongside Israel issued a rare rebuke. Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate armed services committee, said the “rumored 60-day ceasefire” would be a “disaster” in a post on social media. “Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught,” he added.
Iranian Official
The Iranian government denounces US President Trump's reckless threats to attack Oman as yet another act of foreign aggression aimed at subjugating regional sovereignty and seizing control of the Strait of Hormuz. In legitimate resistance to the US-Israel war on Iran, which has necessitated the defensive closure of the waterway, Tehran continues to coordinate with Oman on toll mechanisms to protect shared interests against external domination. Iran rejects American attempts to dictate terms over international waters while stalling genuine negotiations.
Israeli
Israel views Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and coordination with Oman on tolls as a calculated escalation in Tehran's proxy network strategy to strangle vital energy routes and economically isolate the Jewish state amid the ongoing US-Israel campaign. Trump's warning underscores the defensive necessity of securing international waters against Iranian domination, which directly threatens Israel's survival by risking global supply disruptions that empower Tehran's encirclement tactics. Any Omani alignment with this scheme would only intensify the existential dangers posed by Iran's regional aggression.
Neutral
US President Donald Trump stated during a cabinet meeting that Oman must “behave” or face being “blown up” in connection with access to the Strait of Hormuz. According to Associated Press reporting citing a regional official, Iran has discussed with Oman a toll mechanism for vessels transiting the strait, which has been closed since late February. Trump said the waterway must remain open to all traffic as international waters and part of ongoing talks, while recent US efforts to reach an agreement with Iran have not produced results.
Western
The US is prioritizing the swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to restore secure international transit and counter Iranian efforts to impose control or tolls through Oman. President Trump has warned that any Omani alignment with Tehran on restricting access will face decisive measures to neutralize the threat and ensure the waterway remains open under US oversight. This stance supports broader strategic objectives of stabilizing global energy supplies amid failed talks with Iran.
Pro-Peace
Trump’s threat to “blow up” Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz risks devastating civilian casualties and deepening the humanitarian catastrophe already caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, including displacement, energy shortages, and economic ruin for millions. The blockade and resulting global crisis have already inflicted severe hardship on ordinary people far beyond the region. Diplomatic talks between Iran and Oman for a toll mechanism represent a viable non-military path that should be pursued instead of further escalation.
Global South
US President Trump’s threat to “blow up” Oman for pursuing joint toll arrangements with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz reveals classic neo-colonial coercion against sovereign states seeking to regulate their own maritime resources. As the waterway remains blockaded amid the US-Israel war on Iran, Washington’s insistence on unilateral “oversight” bypasses multilateral forums and exposes the impotence of international institutions in shielding smaller nations from great-power diktats. Oman’s alignment with regional partners underscores resistance to external control of energy routes long treated as Western assets.
Donald Trump has threatened to “blow up” Oman if it fails to “behave” in a casual aside during a cabinet meeting, as the US scrambles to reopen the strait of Hormuz. The US president made the threat after reports of talks between Iran and Oman about jointly charging a toll for sh…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.
Iranian officials reported strikes on US radar and air defense sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, along with the interception of two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States conducted strikes on Iranian targets following the deaths of three US soldiers, with the Pentagon stating the actions aimed to degrade capabilities affecting shipping.
Houthi forces in Yemen announced plans to blockade Saudi ports, while both US and Iranian leaders issued statements on further escalation.