Trump On Oman Threat Draws Iran Warning Over Strait of Hormuz
Trump on Oman sharpened after Donald Trump said yesterday that the United States would "blow up" Oman if it entered an agreement with Iran to manage shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The remark put a U.N. member state into the center of a shipping dispute already tied to Iran's blockade of the waterway.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei called the threat "dangerous" and "bullying," and said threats to "destroy" a United Nations member state violate the principle against threatening force. Baghaei also said Oman has served as a mediator in diplomatic processes for many years, which makes the target of Trump's warning more sensitive than a routine exchange of rhetoric.
Baghaei's warning to Oman
Baghaei's full statement was sharper than the two-word description. He said, "Threats to “destroy” a United Nations member state that has always played a constructive, effective, and responsible role in regional peace and security and has used its noble efforts in the service of regional peace and stability as a mediator in diplomatic processes for many years are not only a violation of the fundamental principle of prohibiting the threat of the use of force, but also another dangerous sign of the normalisation of lawlessness and bullying in international relations."
That line directly tied the dispute to Oman's diplomatic role, not just to the shipping route. It also set Iran's position: the threat was not treated as a private insult but as a challenge to a U.N. member state's role in regional diplomacy.
Scott Bessent's Strait warning
On Thursday, US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent threatened to target Oman if it helped impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent wrote, "Oman, in particular, should know that the US Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved – directly or indirectly – in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalized."
The Treasury warning adds a second pressure point on Oman: even before Trump's threat, Washington had signaled it would act against any actor involved in tolls for the Strait. That leaves Oman facing pressure from both sides of the same shipping question, one from Iran's response to U.S. pressure and one from Washington's warning against facilitation.
Strait of Hormuz shipping stakes
Lloyd's List Intelligence data shared Thursday said the proportion of vessels not linked to Iranian ownership transiting the Strait of Hormuz has risen. Bridget Diakun said the last week included ships flagged with Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Norway going through the Gulf, specifically exiting.
Iran has blockaded the waterway since the start of the Middle East war on 28 February, a move that has prevented a large share of Gulf countries' hydrocarbon exports and harmed the global economy. Trump has also circulated a draft peace agreement for the war with Iran among allies including Israel, placing the Oman warning alongside a broader diplomatic push that still leaves shipping in the Strait exposed to new pressure.
The next public signal will come from how Iran and Oman answer the U.S. Treasury warning and Trump's threat. For shipping operators, the immediate issue is whether tolling plans move from threat to action in the Strait of Hormuz.
