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Trump threatens Oman
President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of efforts involving the Strait of Hormuz, as he told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the U.S. would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way,” using an expletive for emphasis.
“The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect”
The threat landed as a 60-day period for U.S.-Iran negotiations ended without a deal, and Al Jazeera reported Trump insisted the Strait of Hormuz remains “open and operating,” while the naval blockade of Iranian ports remains “in full force and effect.”
Al Jazeera also reported Trump posted a map depicting the strategic waterway as US territory, while Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs Kazem Gharibabadi responded on social media that Trump’s “delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man.”
The BBC reported Trump told reporters in the Oval Office “No” when asked about seeking an extension of the 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the U.S. and Iran, even as Iran and Oman continued separate talks to reopen the strait.
In the same BBC account, Trump was quoted saying: “If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the shit out of them.”
Backchannel and reactions
Al Jazeera said Trump asserted there were “no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” while a U.S. official told Al Jazeera that “positive talks” with Iran have been ongoing but Trump “decided to wait” and instructed his negotiating team to hold off until Tehran is “ready to make a deal.”
The BBC reported Trump also claimed the U.S. had a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and an IRGC spokesman denied it, telling semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim News: "There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans".
In the same BBC report, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route” with Muscat, while the BBC noted the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran remained unclear as the MoU neared expiry.
Time Magazine described Trump’s approach as threatening Oman to pressure Iran, quoting Trump to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the sh-t out of them,” and it said the MOU signed on June 17 included lifting the U.S. naval blockade on Iran and toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Hill similarly quoted Trump telling Fox News’s Trey Yingst, “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s‑‑‑ out of them,” as it described Oman and Iran hashing out shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.
What’s at stake next
Al Jazeera warned the rhetoric showed outward progress toward peace talks and the return of maritime traffic through Hormuz had “ground to a halt,” threatening to extend the conflict, as it reported a missile threat alert from the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday evening.
“detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran”
Al Jazeera quoted the UAE Defence Ministry saying its air defences “detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran,” and it reported both projectiles were reported to have landed in the sea.
The Fox5 Vegas/AP account added that a projectile hit a ship as it sailed out of the strait, and it said a cargo vessel was rendered a “constructive total loss” by multiple projectiles off the coast of Yemen, according to the British military’s maritime monitoring agency.
In parallel, Al Jazeera reported Iran reiterated Hormuz would remain closed until Washington met the terms of the June memorandum of understanding, and it said those conditions include lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, and ending threats and military operations on all fronts.
CNN reported that vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz remained depressed, and it said MarineTraffic data showed at least three commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the last 24 hours, while the United States said “CENTCOM forces have redirected 64 commercial vessels, disabled 3, and boarded 2 to ensure compliance,” as of August 17.
