President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the United States would not hesitate to act against Oman if the sultanate continued to facilitate Iranian efforts to choke off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz — the waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes daily.
“We have been very good to Oman. Very good,” Trump said at a White House briefing. “But if they don’t open that strait, and they continue to help Iran close it, we’re going to blow it open. And that includes Oman.”
The extraordinary warning, delivered without specifics on military action, immediately triggered a sharp rebuttal from Muscat. Oman’s foreign ministry called the remarks “an act of aggression against a sovereign state” and summoned the US ambassador. The sultanate’s royal court issued a rare late-night statement saying Oman “will never bow to threats” and reaffirming its commitment to freedom of navigation.
The White House simultaneously dismissed a Reuters report that a draft nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran had been reached in Doha as “a complete fabrication.” National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said no deal had been reached and no deal was close. “The story is false in every particular,” Hughes said.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said Trump had “lost all credibility” and renewed its warning that any US military action in the Gulf would be met with “total and comprehensive retaliation across the entire region.” Tehran reiterated that its enrichment programme would continue and called on the international community to condemn what it described as American “economic terrorism.”
Oil markets reacted sharply. Brent crude surged to $104 a barrel before paring gains to around $101 on the Oman’s denial of a deal. Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon had repositioned naval assets in the Arabian Sea as a precaution but had not yet ordered an aircraft carrier group into the strait.
Qatar and the UAE both issued statements urging calm. Doha said it was in “intense contact” with all parties. The UN secretary-general’s office expressed “grave concern” and called for an emergency session of the Security Council, scheduled for Friday morning.
The Strait of Hormuz has seen a steady escalation since Monday when Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces began positioning mines and anti-ship missiles along the narrow shipping channel. Three commercial vessels were forced to turn back. The US has stationed the USS Truman carrier strike group nearby, with British and French naval vessels also in the area.
Oman’s geographic position gives it unique leverage: the sultanate shares a border with Yemen’s Houthi-controlled north and borders the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Muscat has long served as a discreet diplomatic back-channel between Washington and Tehran — a role now at risk.
Congressional reaction was split. Republican hawks praised the tough language; senior Democrats warned that threatening a longtime Arab ally could destabilise the entire Gulf Cooperation Council. Senator Chris Murphy said Trump’s remarks were “a gift to Iran” that would push Oman and other Gulf states toward seeking alternative security arrangements.