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Oman threat as talks stall
President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of U.S. efforts involving Iran, as he said Washington is in direct contact with officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“If Oman meddles, we’ll [pound] them with ... bombs”
ABC News reported that Trump said, “If Oman meddles, we’ll [pound] them with ... bombs,” in response to the possibility of an agreement between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran reached an “understanding” with Oman regarding “a map of sea routes for transit” in Hormuz, while the 60-day deadline for a U.S.-Iran framework expired without an extension.
CBS News said Monday marked 60 days since the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding calling for a wider peace deal to be negotiated within that timeframe, and it described the war as stuck in stalemate as the 60-day negotiation period ends.
The Associated Press said Iran and Oman are working to finalize details for a joint statement after Iran reached an agreement over a plan to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the two countries.
Voices on de-escalation
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route,” while Trump responded with threats tied to Oman’s role in any deal.
Sky News reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Donald Trump to continue talks with Iran in a bid to de-escalate tensions between the two sides, in a call on the day the 60-day U.S.-Iran ceasefire expired.
In the Oval Office, Trump said the U.S. control of the Strait of Hormuz is “a great idea,” adding, “We control it with the blockade. And, I like the idea of declaring it a territory,” according to ABC News.
CBS News said Jared Kushner told Fox News that as the 60-day memorandum of understanding expires, Iran “doesn’t appear to be willing to finish the deal and give up nuclear weapons,” while Kushner also said Trump is willing to make a deal “that could be great for the Iranian people.”
The Associated Press quoted U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres as wanting Iran and the U.S. to resume peace negotiations, saying there is no military solution to the conflict, and that the countries need to “lower the rhetoric that we’ve been hearing in recent days.”
What’s at stake next
The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz is framed as central to the Iran war’s stalemate, with ABC News saying Trump’s statements came after the 60-day deadline the U.S. and Iran had set to reach an agreement expired.
“only three vessels passed through the waterway on Sunday”
Al-Monitor said the Hormuz Strait has been nearly fully closed since the start of the American-Israeli-Iran war on February 28, and it cited maritime analytics data from Kpler that only three vessels passed through the waterway on Sunday.
The Associated Press said fully reopening the waterway has been a key U.S. demand, while it also reported that Iran effectively closed the strait after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28.
In parallel, the Associated Press reported that the U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres wants negotiations resumed and that there is no military solution, as Trump’s threats against Oman escalated the rhetoric around the shipping route.
CBS News added that the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 and that the 60-day window was expiring, leaving “no concrete plans to end the 24-week war” as oil prices rose and the global flow of crude faced uncertainty.
