President Donald Trump sharpened his tone toward Oman on Monday evening, telling a reporter in the Oval Office that while he doesn’t think the country has “behaved very well,” the U.S. would “handle them easily.” The comment came hours after Trump threatened military action against Oman if it “gets in the way” of American efforts around the Strait of Hormuz.
Tensions between the United States and Oman are climbing. When a reporter asked Trump in the Oval Office about his earlier harsh words toward the country and whether his patience was running out, the president replied briefly: “I don’t think they behave very well, but we’ll handle them easily.”
The statement follows Trump’s earlier threat of military action against Oman if it interferes with American efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war with Iran. Trump’s latest message pulls another Gulf player into the pressure campaign the administration is running as part of its confrontation with Iran. Oman plays an especially significant role because of its location alongside the Strait of Hormuz and its ongoing contacts with Tehran.
1+Behind the remarks are negotiations between Iran and Oman over regulating shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that an understanding has been reached with Oman on a map of transit routes through the strait and that the two sides are working to finalize the details of the arrangement.
For Washington, full reopening of the strait is a central demand. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints—before the war, roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil passed through it. Trump even said in the Oval Office that the American blockade has given the U.S. control of the strait, and added that the idea of making it American territory is “a great idea.”
1+The statement about Oman comes on the day the 60-day period set under the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran expired without a final deal. Trump said he’s not interested in extending the memorandum, and made clear that the deal Tehran is seeking doesn’t meet the conditions he’s demanding.
Oman finds itself in an especially sensitive position. For years it has served as a mediation channel between Washington and Tehran, and now it’s holding talks with Iran about the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The American threat places it directly in the middle of the confrontation over the terms for reopening the strait.