Trump Threatens to Blow Up Oman Over Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday escalated tensions in the Gulf region by warning that no country — including Oman — would be allowed to control the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz as negotiations over the Iran war remain deadlocked.

Speaking during a tense Cabinet meeting, Trump rejected reports claiming that Iran and Oman could jointly oversee shipping traffic through the strait under a proposed framework aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.

“Nobody’s going to control it,” Trump said. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up.”

Trump’s Remarks Shock Gulf Observers

Trump’s comments drew attention because Oman has traditionally been one of Washington’s closest partners in the Gulf and has frequently acted as a quiet mediator between the US and Iran.

Oman also hosts military cooperation arrangements with the United States and has played a key diplomatic role in previous US-Iran negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz has become central to ongoing discussions over ending the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Before the war began earlier this year, nearly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the narrow waterway daily.

White House Rejects Iran-Oman Proposal

Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian state television claimed that an unofficial draft agreement would restore commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month.

According to the report, Iran and Oman would jointly supervise maritime traffic, while the US would scale back its military presence near Iran and end its naval blockade.

The White House, however, dismissed the report as a “complete fabrication”.

Trump later reiterated that the strait would remain governed under international access rules.

“We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it,” he said.

Trump Pushes Abraham Accords Expansion

Trump also used the Cabinet meeting to pressure several Muslim-majority nations to formally join the Abraham Accords.

The agreements, brokered during Trump’s first term, normalised diplomatic ties between Israel and countries including the UAE and Bahrain.

Trump said nations such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan should now join the framework.

“I think they owe that to us, to be honest,” Trump said, adding that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were actively working on the initiative.

He also suggested that progress in talks with Iran could depend on more countries joining the accords.

“I’m not sure we should make the deal if they don’t sign,” Trump said.

Nuclear Dispute Remains Major Obstacle

Iran’s nuclear programme continues to remain a major sticking point in negotiations.

While Iranian media reports focused on maritime arrangements in Hormuz, they did not mention dismantling Tehran’s nuclear activities — a central US demand.

According to Reuters, Iranian officials want nuclear issues to be addressed separately during a later phase of negotiations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected any compromise on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“The bottom line is Iran’s never going to have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said during the Cabinet meeting.

Trump has repeatedly demanded that Iran surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and has ruled out sanction relief in exchange for partial concessions.