Trump Warns Oman on Hormuz Control Amid Iran Talks

Control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments, remains blocked nearly 90 days after Iran closed it during the US-Israel conflict with Tehran. The closure has driven up energy prices worldwide. On Wednesday, during a White House cabinet meeting, President Trump stated that the waterway must stay open to all traffic and that no single country would control it.

Trump addressed reported discussions between Iran and Oman about collecting transit fees. He said the United States would oversee access and added that Oman, a US ally for more than five decades, must comply. The president’s exact words were: “Oman will behave just like everybody else. Or else we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that.” The State Department posted the remark on X shortly afterward.

Oman has maintained military and economic ties with Washington for decades and has mediated between the United States and Iran. It has also faced Iranian attacks. Some reporting noted that Trump had confused Venezuela with Iran earlier in the same appearance, prompting speculation he may have meant to refer to Iran rather than Oman; that possibility was not corroborated across outlets. The White House received inquiries about the intended target but issued no immediate clarification.

Negotiations for a broader peace deal continue without agreement. Trump said he was prepared to outwait Iran past the November midterms and warned he would not sign an accord unless additional Arab states joined the Abraham Accords. US forces struck an Iranian military site in Bandar Abbas this week after downing drones near the strait; Iran responded with an attack on a US airbase in Kuwait. Iranian state media reported a draft deal that would allow joint Iran-Oman management of the strait and lift the US naval blockade, claims Trump rejected.

Republican senators have criticized any short-term ceasefire, while analysts note that Iranian negotiators remain wary of US commitments. The economic effects of the prolonged closure are expected to persist for months even if shipping resumes.