Middle East — 2026-05-30

Trump Threatens to Blow Up Oman Over Strait of Hormuz Tolling Discussions With Iran

At a White House cabinet meeting on May 28, Trump threatened military force against Oman, telling reporters "Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up" in response to a question about accepting Iranian-Omani joint control of the Strait of Hormuz 12. The State Department confirmed the threat was directed at Oman, not Iran, by publishing an official transcript, settling initial speculation that Trump had misspoken 23. The threat was prompted by Iranian state television's report of a draft MOU for Iranian-Omani joint strait management; Trump called the report "a complete fabrication," and Oman has not stated any intention to seek joint control 12. Treasury Secretary Bessent followed Thursday with a written sanctions warning, pledging to "aggressively target" any actor facilitating Hormuz transit tolls 4.

Analysis
Formal sanctions on Oman within 90 days of the May 28 White House threat are very unlikely. Oman has not sought joint Hormuz control; the triggering premise was Iranian state television's MOU report, which the administration itself branded a fabrication, eliminating the most direct pathway to punitive action. Bessent's sanctions warning was explicitly conditional and preemptive, directed at conduct Oman has not taken. The 50-year security partnership and Oman's active mediation role between Washington and Tehran create structural disincentives to punishing Muscat mid-negotiation. Moderate confidence reflects consistent cross-outlet reporting on Oman's actual posture, though the administration's public willingness to threaten close allies in writing leaves residual uncertainty.
5 sources
  1. Trump Threatens to Blow Up Oman Over Strait of Hormuz - Time
  2. Trump appears to threaten Oman over Strait of Hormuz impasse - Al Jazeera
  3. Why Trump warned Oman over Iran's Strait of Hormuz fee plans - Gulf News
  4. US Treasury threatens Oman with sanctions over Hormuz Strait - Al Jazeera
  5. Trump threatens to 'blow up' US ally Oman amid talks over Strait of Hormuz - Irish Times

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