Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Aug 18: US President Donald Trump has threatened military action against Oman if its negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz interfere with US efforts to reach a peace agreement with Tehran.
“If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them,” Trump told Fox News during a phone interview on August 17, according to the network's chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst.
Oman, a US ally, has been holding separate talks with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically important waterway bordering Iran and Oman. Both Iran and the United States have asserted control over the strait.
Iranian leaders have said they will not agree to a deal unless the United States meets certain conditions, including compensation for Tehran. Trump has rejected the demand.
Trump has also defended the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, which he says is aimed at preventing Iranian ships from using the Strait of Hormuz to transport oil. Last week, he said he was prepared to declare the strait a “territory of the United States”.
Trump did not retract his threat against Oman when questioned about the remarks during an Oval Office event later on August 17.
“I don't think they've behaved very well, but we'd handle them very easily, just like we do other things,” he said.
The warning came as a 60-day period for the United States and Iran to negotiate, outlined in a memorandum of understanding in June, expired. The agreement was intended to provide the two sides with additional time to work towards a peace deal, but the preliminary understanding quickly unravelled, leaving the conflict that began in late February without a clear end.
“Iran should wave the white flag of surrender,” Trump told Fox News, according to Yingst. Trump also said he had “no time schedule” and was “not in a hurry” to reach an agreement, even as political pressure over the Iran war grows ahead of the November midterm elections.
With the prospects of a quick US-Iran agreement fading, Trump has repeatedly accused Iranian leaders of misleading him by making different statements privately and publicly during negotiations.
The two countries also remain sharply divided over control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes, making it a critical route for Middle Eastern energy exports.
Since the collapse of the preliminary agreement, Iran has resumed attacks on ships in the strait that its leaders say do not have permission to use the waterway.
Trump has claimed that the US naval blockade has opened the strait to all commercial vessels except Iranian ships, arguing that the move has severely damaged Iran's economy because of its dependence on oil exports.
Iran, however, has rejected Trump's description of the situation, maintaining that the waterway is under its “complete management and control” and that commercial vessels cannot pass through without Iranian permission.