President Donald Trump on Monday morning promised to bomb Oman if it interferes with activity in the Strait of Hormuz, as he sought to portray strength in the war with Iran.
The president’s pledge comes as a 60-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran expires Monday, raising new questions about traffic flow in the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman. Iran has sought to assert control over the strategic waterway since the conflict sparked in February, throwing the world’s energy capacity into limbo since much of the global oil supply passes through the area.
Trump this week sought to project dominance in the conflict, saying he is in “no hurry” to end the war, and threatening to “bomb the s*** out of” Oman if it “gets in the way” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The president’s comments, which were made to Trey Yingst on Fox & Friends, come as Iran negotiates with Oman over how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The strait connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The president also said the midterm elections in November “have nothing to do with my thinking” on the war, and claimed Washington holds a sweeping arsenal of weapons, dismissing concerns that U.S. stockpiles are dwindling nearly six months into the war.
“What we’ve used is peanuts,” Trump said. “We have a lot of mid-level weapons.”
“I have no time schedule,” he added, speaking to ongoing negotiations with the Iranian military. “They’re good poker players, but they’re dying.”
Trump’s threat to bomb Oman comes the same day Iran said it reached an agreement with the Gulf States over a plan for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that talks with Oman had gone slowly, but that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.” Both sides are working to finalize details for a joint statement, he said, adding that the two countries “still plan to finalize the understanding in the form of a package: the map plus a joint statement.”
Trump has sought to put a damper on the Iran-Oman talks, promising Friday that he would “pretty soon” declare the strait a U.S. territory.
TRUMP SAYS ‘PRETTY SOON’ HE’LL DECLARE THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ A ‘TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES’
The war began on Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, citing concerns that it is building nuclear weapons. While the conflict has since segued into a geopolitical energy confrontation, Trump said Monday morning he remains committed to ensuring Iran cannot build nuclear weapons.
“The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”