Last Updated on 29 May 2026 by Joe Glenton
US president Donald Trump just threatened to bomb Oman, a US ally. Increasingly humiliated by his failing war against Iran, Trump has become more and more erratic. Oman was mediating the last US-Iran deal which Trump broke in February under pressure from Israel.
Trump was waffling about a potential Pakistan-brokered peace deal with Iran when he made the bizarre threat. Tehran has said it wants Oman to help impose tolls on a re-opened Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy corridor.
Trump, whose attack predictably led to the strait being closed in the first place, had a little tantrum about the idea:
They would like to control it.
He added:
Oman will behave just like everybody else. Or else we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.
The Guardian reported:
The White House did not immediately clarify whether Trump had misspoken, and Oman’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Cradle said:
Some people thought that Trump had meant to say Iran and that he had been misunderstood. However, the US Department of State posted the president’s comments, leaving little chance that they were misunderstood or that he misspoke.
Trump blew up unprecedented Oman-brokered deal
A quick recap of how we got here might be useful. Donald Trump seems to have forgotten himself…
US-Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in Oman-brokered negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.
The US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked – creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has said the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation.
The Jerusalem Post pointed out that US-Oman relations are very old indeed:
According to the US State Department’s embassy in Oman, “the friendship between the United States and Oman dates back over two hundred years, when the American ship, the Boston Rambler, sailed to the port of Muscat in 1790.”
Yet relations since the US-Israeli attack on Iran have been tense. Oman feels it was played by Trump over the last set of negotiations:
it felt that its role as mediator was being exploited in June 2025 and also in February 2026 because while it was mediating, plans for war appeared to be afoot.
Sanctions threatened against Oman
The US treasury followed up on Trump’s threats with their own within hours of his comments. Al Jazeera reported comments by treasury secretary Scott Bessant:
Oman, in particular, should know that the US Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved — directly or indirectly — in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalized.
All nations should reject outright any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce. Tehran’s days of terrorizing the region and the world are over.
The outlet said:
It is not clear what is driving Washington’s recent posture towards Oman. It is highly unusual for the US to threaten sanctions and military action against a close security and economic partner.
Trump’s aim in bullying Oman isn’t clear. It could be part of a ploy or simply a sense of humiliation over the failed attack on Iran. Either way, Trump’s defeat has been all but assured with the president increasingly desperate for an off-ramp with mid-term elections creeping closer. While Trump is making demands like a man who holds the cards, the observable reality is that he holds none.
Featured image via Suzanne Plunkett – Pool / Getty Images
By Joe Glenton
