President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman — a US ally — if it “gets in the way” of his administration’s talks with Iran, Fox News reports.
Fox News reporter Trey Yingst said Trump made the comment during a phone call on Monday. Trump also claimed that the US had a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The IRGC later denied that it was involved in talks with the US. Iranian officials, meanwhile, said on Monday that Tehran was close to finalising an agreement with Oman on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran also expires on Monday. The document was a commitment by both sides to continue talks aimed at reaching a final agreement.
Oman, which describes itself as neutral in the conflict, has suffered a number of strikes from Iran since the fighting began. It is now playing a key role in negotiations with Tehran over reopening the strait.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the vital waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Reopening the strait has been a major focus of negotiations.
Washington has pursued its own efforts to secure the waterway’s reopening. Yingst quoted Trump as saying: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”
An IRGC spokesman denied Trump’s claim that the US was engaged in backchannel negotiations with the organisation, a major military, political and economic force in Iran.
“There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans,” the spokesman told the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim. He described Trump’s claim as “fantasies” caused by what he called the US president’s “delusions and nightmares” following defeat and desperation in the war.
Trump’s threat to Oman came after Iran said earlier on Monday that it had reached an agreement with Oman on allowing ships to travel through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route”.
According to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, Baghaei said the two sides would finalise the remaining details before issuing a joint statement. Oman has previously described the talks as positive.
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strait could be fully reopened if Iran received compensation from the US for what Tehran described as violations of the MoU.
Reuters, citing an Iranian official, previously reported that Tehran was seeking fees of between 5% and 7% of the value of cargoes carried by vessels travelling through the strait.
