Nicolai Haugsted
Trump threatens new military action as battle over world’s crucial oil route deepens.
President Donald Trump has issued an explicit military threat against Oman as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a dispute over the Strait of Hormuz. His warning follows reports that Oman and Iran are moving closer to an agreement governing commercial shipping through the waterway.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump warned that Washington would respond militarily if Muscat interfered with American objectives.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s*** out of them,” Trump said.
Iranian officials say weeks of negotiations with Oman have produced progress over commercial access to the strait.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced Saturday that an agreement had been reached concerning shipping routes through the strategically crucial passage.
Baghaei blamed Washington for obstructing negotiations but said discussions over the previous three weeks had nevertheless moved forward.
Trump’s intervention puts additional pressure on the diplomatic effort as the United States and Iran compete for influence over the waterway.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the current conflict, making disruptions there capable of affecting energy markets far beyond the Middle East.
Trump claims US will control the strait
Washington’s ambitions appear to extend beyond securing access for commercial vessels.
Trump said Friday that he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory once the conflict with Iran has concluded, an extraordinary claim concerning an international waterway bordered by Iran and Oman.
“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated – pretty soon, I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said.
Control over shipping has already become a central element of the confrontation. Trump has argued that Washington effectively determines which vessels are allowed to pass through the area.
“Essentially, that’s what it is. We have a blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” he said.
Iran responds to territorial claim
Trump’s comments have also drawn an aggressive response from Tehran.
Major General Amir Hatami, one of Iran’s senior military figures, condemned the idea of American control over the strait and warned Trump against pursuing it.
Hatami described joking about taking the waterway as a serious mistake and said Iran had defenders prepared to “break your legs.”
Competition over Hormuz has taken on wider economic significance as the conflict has disrupted a route traditionally responsible for carrying a substantial share of global oil supplies.
Fuel prices have risen amid the struggle for control, increasing the international consequences of any further disruption to commercial traffic.
Oman’s reported negotiations with Tehran now add another diplomatic dimension to the dispute, while Trump’s threat introduces the possibility of American military action against a country other than Iran if Washington believes its plans for the strait are being obstructed.
