US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf nation interferes with Washington’s efforts to negotiate with Iran, according to Fox News.
Fox News reporter Trey Yingst said Trump made the comments during a phone conversation on Monday, August 17, while also claiming that the United States had established a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The IRGC has denied the claim, with a spokesman describing it as false and saying there were no talks between its officials and the United States.
Trump’s remarks come as Oman plays a key role in efforts to negotiate with Iran over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
Iranian officials said on Monday that they had reached an understanding on a route for ships to transit the strait, although details were still being finalised before a joint announcement.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said an agreement had been reached on the map of the transit route, with the two sides expected to conclude the remaining details.
The development followed negotiations involving Oman, which has presented itself as a neutral mediator in the conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained a major point of tension since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February. Tehran has largely restricted access to the waterway, through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.
Washington has been pushing for the strait to be reopened, while Iran has linked a full reopening to compensation from the United States for what it describes as violations of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
The 60-day MoU, signed on June 18, was intended to provide a framework for further negotiations towards a permanent ceasefire. However, the truce later collapsed after the two sides resumed attacks.
Trump, meanwhile, said he was in no rush to end the conflict, describing Iran as a difficult negotiating partner.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump was quoted as saying. “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry.”
He also insisted that the upcoming US midterm elections had no influence on his approach to the conflict.
Trump further dismissed concerns about US weapons stocks being depleted by the war, saying the amount used so far was relatively small.
In a post on his Truth Social platform as the MoU approached its expiry, Trump reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained his administration’s primary objective.
“The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Oman’s role in the negotiations has become increasingly important as efforts continue to restore safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and prevent further escalation in the wider conflict.
SOURCE: BBC