In a startling public comment made during an interview with Fox News on Monday, former President Donald Trump issued an unprecedented violent threat against Oman, a longstanding U.S. ally in the Middle East, stating that his administration would launch devastating bombing strikes on the country if it obstructs Washington’s efforts to reach a deal with Iran to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway has remained fully closed to most commercial shipping since Trump launched what the original reporting describes as an illegal military campaign against Iran in late February. The threat comes amid ongoing talks between Tehran and Muscat over a potential framework for joint oversight of the strait, a negotiation that has put Oman directly in the crosshairs of U.S. pressure.
When pressed by the Fox News interviewer about the bilateral Iran-Oman discussions, Trump responded bluntly: “if Oman gets in the way” of reopening the strait, “we’ll bomb the shit out of them.” This is not the first time Trump has targeted Oman over the strait dispute, as Trita Parsi, a senior analyst with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, pointed out, noting the U.S. leader previously issued threats against the nation when it put forward compromise proposals for strait governance.
To date, the U.S. military’s large-scale military operations against Iran have failed to force the reopening of the strait, despite the depletion of massive U.S. munitions stockpiles. Military sources speaking to The Military Times confirmed that the U.S. has deployed nearly its entire inventory of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) in the campaign, with no breakthrough to show for the expenditure of firepower.
The ongoing closure of the strait, which accounts for roughly a fifth of global oil trade, has triggered fresh upward pressure on global energy prices. Shipping data compiled by maritime analytics firm Kpler, cited in a Monday Reuters report, shows that commercial traffic through the waterway came to a near-complete halt over the most recent weekend: only five commodity-carrying vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with no transits registered at all on Sunday. Before the start of Trump’s military campaign, an average of 130 vessels passed through the key chokepoint on a daily basis.
Market reactions have followed swiftly. During trading hours on Monday, Brent crude oil prices climbed above $89 per barrel, while data released by the American Automobile Association (AAA) shows that the average retail price of gasoline across the United States has now risen to $4.06 per gallon, up five cents from the $4.01 average recorded just one week prior.
Adding to regional tensions, the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Iranian hardline leadership, which has seen the conflict unfold in its favor so far, has developed a confidential strategy to escalate hostilities. According to the report, Iran used a June ceasefire with the U.S. to rebuild its military capabilities and prepare for larger-scale offensive operations. Citing intelligence from Arab sources, the outlet noted that Tehran’s core strategic goal is to impose sufficiently high costs on the U.S. military to deter future large-scale attacks like the 12-day conflict Tehran endured last year and the ongoing current hostilities.