Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it teams up with Iran to control Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump has threatened to use military force against Oman if it cooperates with Iran to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on May 27, when a reporter asked whether he would accept a short-term deal allowing Iran and Oman to jointly manage the strait, Trump replied: “No one’s going to control it. That’s international waters, and Oman will have to act like everyone else, or we’ll have to bomb them.”

Initially there was speculation that Trump may have misspoken and meant “Iran” instead of “Oman,” but the US State Department later reposted the remark on social media with a transcript, confirming he was referring to Oman. Oman is known for its neutral foreign policy and has never stated a desire to join Iran in managing the Strait of Hormuz. The US and Oman have been close allies for more than 200 years, bound by multiple cooperative treaties covering security, free trade, and science and technology.

Oman has previously served as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, seeking a resolution to a war that began on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Trump’s threat underscores a growing reliance on military force in foreign policy, often called “gunboat diplomacy.” Critics have labeled the move reckless. Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at the US-based human rights organization DAWN, compared the president’s comment to “a mafia boss.” He said: “The UN Charter prohibits the threat of force against any state, and that binds the US as much as any other country. Threatening to ‘bomb’ an Arab state merely because its waters lie along the oil route Washington wants to reopen is the lawless logic that sparked this war in February, and the clearest signal that any ceasefire this administration brokers will only last until the president loses his temper at a Cabinet meeting again.”

Trump’s threat came after Iranian state television reported on the framework of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Iran and Oman. According to the report, the draft MOU would allow the two countries to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz, but the Trump administration called the information “a complete fabrication.” Hormuz, the main transit route for global energy and fertilizer products, has functioned as a free international passage for decades. But after the US and Israel began bombing Iran in February, Tehran closed the strait and asserted sovereignty over the area, part of which lies within Iranian and Omani territorial waters.

At the Cabinet meeting, Trump also reiterated his call for Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to establish diplomatic relations with Israel as part of a future US-Iran ceasefire deal. In his first term, he brokered the Abraham Accords to encourage Arab nations to formalize ties with Israel. Trump said: “I think they owe us that. I’m not sure we should do the deal unless they sign on.” The White House did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.