Trump threatens to ‘bomb’ Oman as 60-day US-Iran peace window expires without a breakthrough

US president Donald trump (Image via The Guardian)

US President Donald Trump has again threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf nation “gets in the way” of his efforts to end the ongoing war between the US-Israel side and Iran. The warning came on 18th August, as a 60-day diplomatic window for reaching a peace agreement with Tehran ended on Monday without a final deal.

Trump made the remarks during an interview with Fox News, saying, “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.” This is the second time Trump has threatened Oman, a longtime US partner that has played an important role in keeping communication open between Washington and Tehran.

Oman’s role in Iran talks

Oman is not a party to the war but has been involved in mediation efforts. Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that talks with Oman were still “continuing in earnest” despite Trump’s latest comments.

Oman, which has close military and economic ties with the US, has a population of around 5.3 million. The country has also come under attack from Iran during the conflict. Oman and Iran are currently involved in discussions over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

Trump had also threatened in May to “blow up” Oman if it failed to “behave”. On Friday, he went further by suggesting that the US could declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory.

No breakthrough after 60-day peace window

Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran at the Palace of Versailles on 17th June during the G7 summit. The agreement paused hostilities and gave both sides a maximum 60-day period, extendable only with mutual consent, to reach a wider agreement.

The proposed deal covered sanctions relief, Iran’s nuclear programme and other disputes. However, the deadline passed without a breakthrough.

Trump has repeatedly said the war would end soon and has presented himself as a “peacemaker-in-chief”. But nearly six months after the conflict began, his efforts to bring it to an end have yet to produce a final agreement.

At the same time, Trump said he was “not in a hurry” and had “no time schedule” for reaching a deal. He also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender”.

Meanwhile, Trump has published a Truth Social post, showing the Strait of Hormuz on a map as “New U.S. Territory”.

Fighting continues across the region

The wider Middle East conflict also remained active. Yemen’s Houthis said they had attacked Saudi military ships and four escort vessels in the Red Sea. Saudi authorities did not confirm the reported attack. The incident was said to have taken place near a port close to the Bab-al-Mandeb strait, another major international shipping route.

In Israel, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for more than four hours. The meeting came after Netanyahu rejected a US-backed Gaza peace proposal that included the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Netanyahu has said he will not support a withdrawal before Hamas fully disarms.

US officials said Kushner urged Netanyahu not to create obstacles to a possible peace agreement.

Trump says US weapons use is limited

Trump also rejected concerns that nearly six months of fighting had reduced US military stockpiles. He described the weapons used against Iran so far as “peanuts” and said many advanced US weapons had already been sent to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden.

He also confirmed that Washington had opened a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been targeted by the US and Israel during the conflict.

Trump has maintained that his main goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. However, with the diplomatic deadline now over and fighting continuing, there is still no clear sign of when the war will finally come to an end.

Written by OpIndia Staff
Last modified at