According to Fox News, President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Oman, a US ally, if it “gets in the way” of his administration’s own negotiations with Iran.
To reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway essential to the world economy, the US and Oman have been holding separate talks with Tehran. Due to the US-Iran conflict, it has been mostly shuttered for about six months.
During a phone conversation, the US president threatened Oman while using an obscenity, according to a news reporter.
Trump Reportedly Threatens Oman Over Iran Talks
Iranian authorities said earlier in the day that an agreement with Oman was almost finalized. A 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran is about to expire, raising questions about the future of negotiations between the two countries.
When News asked Trump if he was looking for an extension to the Memorandum of Understanding as he was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, he said, “No.”
About a quarter of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically travel through the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has mostly sealed since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. One of the main topics of debate has been reopening it.
Trump Claims Iran Backchannel as IRGC Denies Talks With US
Washington has worked to achieve the reopening on its own initiative. Trump was cited by reporter Trey Yingst as stating, “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”
In the same interview, Trump claimed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a significant military, economic, and political power in Iran, has a direct backchannel with the United States.
“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,” a spokesman told the semi-official Iranian news source Tasnim News.
A few hours after Iran announced that the two nations had achieved an agreement allowing ships to pass through the Strait, Trump threatened Oman.
Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, said reporters that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route”.
Before releasing a joint statement, he said, all parties will finalize the specifics.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated earlier this month that a complete reopening was contingent upon Iran being compensated by the United States for what Tehran claimed were breaches of the Memorandum of Understanding.
According to a previous story by Reuters, which cited an Iranian official, Tehran was requesting fees from ships passing through the Strait that ranged from 5% to 7% of the cost of their cargo.
Trump Says He Is in No Hurry to End Iran War
Trump stated that he was not in a rush to end the conflict, despite having a direct backchannel with the IRGC.He was cited as stating, “They’re dying, but they’re good poker players.” “I don’t have a schedule. I’m not rushing.
A ceasefire and at least partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz were the goals of the Memorandum of Understanding that the United States and Iran signed on June 18. But when both sides started striking again shortly after, it collapsed.
Following further gunfire, Trump declared the truce to be “over” and called Iran’s leadership “scum” and “cuckoo” on July 8.
