Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman despite centuries of US ties

Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman despite centuries of US ties Submitted by Sean Mathews on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 20:18 Officials tell MEE the Trump administration has borne a grudge against Oman for months, but the country is key to Iran's ambitions A man views Rasool al-Adham Mosque from the corniche at Port Sultan Qaboos in Oman's capital, Muscat, on 5 February 2026 (Loic Venance/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Oman on Wednesday, in remarks that offered a window into what several US officials have told Middle East Eye is the administration’s frustration with Muscat amid the war on Iran. Trump said he would “blow up” Oman if it agreed to work with Iran to impose a fee for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz as part of a settlement to end the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic. “The strait is going to be open to everybody. Nobody is going to control it…it’s international waters,” Trump said. “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up,” he added. Iran has been pressing for its right to enact a toll in the Strait of Hormuz as an outcome of any deal to end the war. Oman’s position on the Strait of Hormuz is key because, along with Iran, it is the only country with territorial waters there. Why Oman is key to Iran's toll ambitions According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), countries can stake a claim up to 12 nautical miles for their territorial waters. The Strait of Hormuz is just 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point. Countries whose coasts border international straits are prohibited from restricting transit through their territorial waters or charging tolls. But legal e...

Original source: Middle East Eye