Why has Trump threatened to bomb Oman – for a second time?

What the report says

US President Donald Trump has again threatened Oman, saying it could be bombed if it “gets in the way” of US-Iran peace efforts and talks over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera. The comments were made in a Fox News interview on Monday and come as negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled. Al Jazeera reported that an Iranian official denied Trump’s claim that the US had opened direct talks with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The outlet said this was not the first such threat. In May, Trump also warned Oman during a cabinet meeting after being asked about a possible arrangement in which Oman and Iran would oversee shipping through the strait. That earlier remark was later confirmed in a transcript posted by the US State Department, raising questions about whether it had been a slip of the tongue or a deliberate warning.

Al Jazeera placed the latest threat in the context of a wider dispute over control of the vital waterway, which carries a large share of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. It reported that Iran and Oman have recently held talks, with mediation from Qatar, on a future shipping route and that Tehran said a new mechanism was being prepared. The report added that the issue matters because it affects regional security, sanctions pressure, and global energy prices.