Trump’s Oman threat exposes rare rupture with key US Middle East partn

President Donald Trump’s threat to “blow up” Oman if the Gulf kingdom didn’t “behave” has exposed a rare rupture with one of Washington’s most valuable Middle East partners — a country that has spent decades quietly serving as America’s backchannel to Iran.

“The strait’s gotta be open to everybody,” the president said during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. “It’s international waters. Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have. They would like to control it; nobody’s going to control it. It’s international waters. And Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow ’em up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.” 

The remark came amid a dispute over the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The Trump administration has strongly opposed reported discussions involving Iran and Oman over a potential tolling system or joint management arrangement for the strait, arguing such a move would threaten freedom of navigation and give Tehran greater influence over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The comments reflected a broader dispute over how far Oman should go in its efforts to engage Iran as the two countries discuss proposals related to the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ TOLL WOULD SET ‘DANGEROUS PRECEDENT,’ UN SHIPPING AGENCY WARNS

A drone view shows vessels anchored at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, May 25, 2026. (Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY via Reuters)

The Omani embassy and…