Donald Trump threatened to "blow up" Oman during a Wednesday cabinet meeting if the Gulf state collaborates with Iran on controlling the Strait of Hormuz. "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up," Trump said in response to a reporter's question about reports of Iran-Oman talks on a joint toll on Hormuz shipping, the Guardian reported. The State Department later circulated a transcript confirming the comment referenced Oman, Al Jazeera reported.
What was the context? The strait, which carries roughly a fifth of global oil supplies, has been blockaded by Iran since late February, when the US-Israel war on Iran began. Tehran has been pressing Oman to back a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels transiting the waterway, the Guardian reported, citing a regional official quoted by the Associated Press. Trump said the strait would remain open and that "nobody's going to control it," before adding the threat against the US ally.
How did Oman and others respond? Oman, which has acted as a back-channel mediator between Washington and Tehran throughout the conflict, did not immediately respond through its Washington embassy, the Guardian reported. Critics described the remark as reckless: Raed Jarrar of DAWN told Al Jazeera the threat continued a pattern of US "gunboat diplomacy" toward smaller partners.
Where do talks stand? Trump used the same cabinet meeting to accuse Tehran of stalling a final deal to "out-wait" him until the November US midterm elections. Republican hawks who had backed earlier escalation revolted last week after Trump signaled a deal was close, The Hill reported, and the White House has spent the days since toggling between threats and openings as Iran negotiators continue meeting in third countries.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
