President Trump delivered a stark warning to Oman, cautioning the U.S. ally against any agreement with Iran to jointly control the Strait of Hormuz, the New York Times reported. He threatened a potential American bombing campaign if Oman proceeded, though he quickly softened his tone, saying he didn’t believe such action would be necessary.
During a cabinet meeting, Mr. Trump didn’t mince words when a reporter asked about the strait. “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up,” he stated. He then added, almost as an aside, “They understand that. They’ll be fine.”
The core of the issue revolves around discussions between Iran and Oman about establishing a system to charge fees for vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz. This is happening despite clear warnings from the Trump administration against any demands for payment to pass through this critical international waterway. Trump wants the strait to remain open to everyone, unequivocally stating, “The strait is going to be open to everybody. Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it.”
The Strait of Hormuz is incredibly vital for global commerce, serving as a key passageway for a significant portion of the world’s oil supply
Its closure earlier this year by Iran, following an attack by the United States and Israel on February 28 that escalated into a months-long war spreading to neighboring countries, really rocked the financial markets. Despite ongoing talks about a potential deal to quickly reopen the strait, the likelihood of a swift diplomatic breakthrough seemed pretty dim on Wednesday, especially after the United States and Iran ratcheted up hostilities even further this week. For its part, Oman’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment/
This latest threat against Oman isn’t just a one-off event, though; it actually fits into a larger pattern we’ve seen throughout Mr. Trump’s time in office. It’s pretty striking because as a presidential candidate, Donald Trump often painted his opponents as trigger-happy interventionists, suggesting they would get the United States bogged down in all sorts of foreign conflicts, even hinting at World War III.
However, as president, he has accumulated an astonishing list of countries he’s either threatened to attack or actually attacked. This latest warning to Oman adds another entry to that growing list, making it at least the 15th country that has faced such a possibility during his two terms.
It’s particularly noteworthy that this threat was phrased almost like an aside, something Mr. Trump seemingly dropped casually with little prior thought. This has become somewhat typical for him, and it’s certainly a distinctive approach to foreign policy. A significant portion of these instances, nearly all of them in fact, have occurred within the first 16 months of his second term, though some of his actions do span both terms in office.
President Trump has launched strikes in seven countries just this term alone: Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Some of these nations, like Iraq, also saw strikes during his first term. And that doesn’t even count the strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, which have targeted nearly 60 vessels and resulted in the deaths of more than 190 people.
Beyond direct attacks, he has also threatened or left open the possibility of strikes against seven other countries this term. This list includes Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, which is part of Denmark, Mexico, Panama, and now Oman. He also made threats against Mexico and North Korea during his first term. It’s important to remember that not all of these threats and strikes are the same, of course.
For example, some, like the strikes in Iraq, were narrowly targeted at terrorists rather than the government in power. And some of the threats were less direct, with Mr. Trump simply declining to rule out the possibility of military action.
Published: May 28, 2026 03:45 pm