Trump threatens Oman over Iran-linked Strait of Hormuz shipping deal

Donald Trump threatened Oman as Muscat pursued a shipping deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. The clash has sharpened regional tensions, with Tehran setting conditions for reopening the vital waterway.

In Short

• Washington objects to joint Omani-Iranian control of the strait's exit route
• A projectile struck a departing ship, damaging its engine room
• Iran says passage will resume only after US meets strict demands

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman over a proposed deal with Iran on managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, according to two regional officials. The move comes as Oman works with Iran on an arrangement linked to reopening the waterway and creating a path for Washington and Tehran to resume negotiations.

The officials said the Trump administration has told Oman it opposes parts of the still-unannounced deal, including joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route from the strait, which is vital for global oil and natural gas supplies. As the diplomatic tensions rose, a projectile hit a ship sailing out of the strait, while an Iranian official said the waterway would not reopen until the United States met Iran's conditions.

The two officials, who were briefed on the US position and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to journalists, said Washington believes Oman has not been tough enough in its talks with Iran. The US is also unhappy with Oman's agreement to collect voluntary fees from vessels, even if the charges are tied to security and maritime environmental protection.

Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman as it continued talks with Iran on opening the strait and paving the way for fresh US-Iran negotiations to end the war. On Tuesday, he posted a map on social media showing the strait as US territory. He had first mentioned the idea in an offhand comment last week, and on Monday told reporters in the Oval Office, "I like the idea of declaring it a territory," without giving details. The White House on Tuesday referred to Trump's Oval Office remarks and declined further comment on Oman.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to Trump's post. "Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will soon either be corrected, or we will correct this deluded man's delusions for him," he wrote on X. Trump's comment on Monday was not the first such threat. In May, he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that Oman "will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up." Iran also repeated on Tuesday that it intended to keep control over shipping traffic until Washington met its demands. "Until the United States fulfils its commitments under the agreement, including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and implementing the other conditions to which it committed, the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen," said Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker and a negotiator in earlier talks with the US.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the Iranian-Omani deal could help Washington and Tehran return to negotiations for a "comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability". The statement followed a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi, but it did not address Trump's latest threat against Oman.

Trump said on Tuesday that the US had no talks planned with Iran, but insisted the strait was "open and operating", despite limited traffic, the reported strike on a vessel and the end on Monday of the 60-day negotiating period between the two countries. He also wrote on social media that a US blockade of the strait remained "in full force and effect" and that all water mines had been removed.

Even as talks involving Iran and Oman continued, more attacks were reported in the region. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said an unidentified projectile hit a ship early on Tuesday in the strait off Oman's coast, damaging the engine room and causing a casualty. The agency did not identify the ship or its cargo, and it was not clear whether the crew member was killed or injured. It said the Omani Coast Guard was assisting the other crew members and that authorities were investigating. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels also claimed they had fired drones at an oil refinery in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The target was a facility run by Saudi Aramco, according to the Houthi-run SABA news agency. There were no immediate reports of damage or any comment from Saudi Arabia.

The developments kept focus on the proposed Iranian-Omani arrangement on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump's escalating warnings to Oman, Iran's insistence on conditions for reopening the waterway, and fresh security incidents in the region.

With PTI Inputs

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