President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, a US ally, if it “gets in the way” of his administration’s own talks with Iran, according to Fox News.
The United States and Oman have been holding separate talks with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that plays a major role in the global economy. The strait has stayed mostly closed for nearly six months during the US-Iran war.
Fox reporter Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying during a phone interview: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them.”
Trump made the comment hours after Iran said a deal with Oman was agreed
Trump made the threat a few hours after Iran said the two countries had reached an agreement on ships travelling through the Strait. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told reporters that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”
Baghaei added that both sides would work out the remaining details before releasing a joint statement. Oman has described the talks as positive.
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a full reopening of the strait depended on Iran getting compensation from the US for what Tehran called violations of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries.
Reuters, citing an Iranian official, reported that Tehran wanted fees of between 5% and 7% of the value of cargo carried by ships passing through the strait.
It is not clear what Trump considers to be Oman “getting in the way” of his goals for a deal. Trump had earlier said a broader Iran peace deal was close to being finalized, with the strait expected to reopen as part of it.
Oman sits on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz and says it is a neutral country in the conflict. It has been hit by a number of strikes from Iran and is now taking a lead role in negotiating with Tehran to reopen the waterway. The US has been pursuing its own separate effort to get the strait reopened.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump was asked by BBC News whether he was seeking an extension to the MoU between the US and Iran. He replied, “No.”
During the same Fox interview, Trump also said the US had a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a major military, economic, and political force in Iran.
An IRGC spokesman denied this claim. The 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 also said he was in no hurry to end the war with Iran. “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.” After making the bombing threat, Trump followed up by saying Oman would ultimately be fine, softening his earlier remark.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran was signed on 18 June. It was meant to bring about a ceasefire and at least partly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it broke down a short time later when both sides resumed strikes. On 8 July, Trump said the ceasefire was “over” and criticized Iran’s leadership, calling them “scum” and “cuckoo” after fresh exchanges of fire.
As the MoU neared its formal expiry on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon.”
Published: Aug 18, 2026 07:15 am