President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman, a US ally, if it “gets in the way” of his administration’s talks with Iran, as a 60-day ceasefire framework between Washington and Tehran expired on Monday with no agreement in sight. The remarks, made during a Fox News phone interview, escalate tensions with a Gulf nation mediating with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway carrying about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. It has been largely closed for nearly six months during the US-Iran war.
Fox News reporter Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.” It is not clear what Trump considers obstructive. Hours later, in the Oval Office, Trump was asked by BBC News whether he would seek an extension to the memorandum of understanding. He replied: “No.” When pressed again about Oman, Trump said the longtime US strategic ally hasn’t “behaved very well.” He added: “But we’d handle them very easily, just like we do other things.”
A ceasefire in name only
The memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran was signed on 18 June. It was designed to bring about a ceasefire and at least partly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement fell apart within weeks. Both sides resumed strikes. On 8 July, Trump declared the ceasefire was “over” and blasted Iran’s leadership as “scum” and “cuckoo” after fresh exchanges of fire. The MoU was initially touted as a major step toward clearing a path to finalizing a long-term deal on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, but each side repeatedly accused the other of violating its terms.
Iran has denied that any negotiations with the United States are underway. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, quoted by the Iranian news outlet Shahrara News on Saturday, said the two sides do “not have anything like a ceasefire.” Qatar and Pakistan are exchanging messages between the parties, Araghchi said, but he insisted: “No negotiations have been held between the United States and us at this time.” Trump, for his part, told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that Iran wants to make a deal, “but they’re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary.”
Instead, Tehran says it is in active talks with Oman. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route” and that both sides would finalise details before issuing a joint statement. Oman has previously described these talks as positive. Oman borders the southern side of the Strait and calls itself a neutral party in the conflict, though it has suffered a number of strikes from Iran and is now playing a key role in negotiating with Tehran to reopen the waterway.
Shipping grinds to a halt
The strait has slowed nearly to a stop. Only three ships passed through the passage on Sunday, according to data from Kpler. The five-day average for transits stands at 12. Around 130 vessels crossed daily before the war started on 28 February, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Since then, Tehran has largely blocked the waterway to commercial transit compared to prewar levels.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, insisted in a post on X on Friday that the strait will remain “Iranian” and only be closed and opened “under Iran’s command.” Earlier this month, Araghchi said a full reopening was dependent on Iran receiving compensation from the US for what Tehran described as violations of the MoU. Reuters, citing an Iranian official, reported that Tehran was seeking fees of between 5% and 7% of the price of cargoes from vessels travelling through the Strait.
During his Fox interview, Trump also claimed the US had a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is a major military, economic, and political force in Iran. An IRGC spokesman denied the claim. A spokesman told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency: “There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans, and this lie by Trump is merely fantasies caused by the delusions and nightmares he has suffered as a result of defeat and desperation in the war.”
Trump said he was in no hurry. “They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” he was quoted as saying. “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry.” Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior aide, told Fox on Monday that Iran currently is “not showing any interest” in a deal the US would consider.
In a Truth Social post on Monday morning, Trump wrote: “The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon.” HSBC shipping expert Parash Jain told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” that investors should understand “chaos is the norm” for the industry and factor it into their base assumptions.