U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to bomb Oman, a country that has been in talks with Iran about a solution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“If Oman gets in the way, we will bomb them mercilessly,” Trump said, according to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, who was recounting his conversation with the president.
Trump’s threat, during an interview with Fox News, came the same day the memorandum of understanding aimed at achieving lasting peace with Iran officially expired.
The memorandum of understanding, signed in June, established a 60-day truce period and specifically stated that “Iran will engage in dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The ceasefire broke down last month amid the resumption of airstrikes, but Monday marked the formal end of the 60-day truce period.
Trump told Fox News that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is working and that, while the Iranians may be good “poker players,” they are suffering economically.
According to Yingst, Trump also said that Iran should “raise the white flag of surrender,” but the president indicated he had no timetable to end the war.
Following the official collapse of the fragile truce with Iran on Monday, Trump expressed frustration over his inability to resolve a war he himself started but seems unable to end.
Additionally, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the United States can maintain the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely, a vital corridor for oil transport, demonstrating that no end to the war is in sight.
In the interview with Fox News, Trump tried to project patience, saying he was “in no rush” to close a deal, while maintaining that his main goal remained to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
This was the second time this year the president threatened Oman. After it became known in May that the sultanate had discussed the possibility of partnering with Iran to charge fees to ships passing through the strait, Trump exploded. “Oman will behave like any other country, or we will have to blow it up,” the president told reporters that month. “They understand. They will be fine.”
