Trump Threatens Oman Over Strait of Hormuz — ‘We Will Have to Blow Them Up’ — Layla Hassan
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Breaking — MENA
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 — 11:45 PM local time
Trump Threatens Oman Over Strait of Hormuz Standoff: ‘We Will Have to Blow Them Up’
Revolutionary Guard says new fighting is unlikely — but warns it is ready to repel any attempt to breach the mine line. Oman, the Sultan’s office, denies all violations.
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/MUSCAT — President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued an explicit threat against Oman, declaring the US ally must “behave just like everybody else” or face military action over its refusal to help break the deadlock at the Strait of Hormuz, according to a White House pool statement and reporting by Al Jazeera.
“We have a very simple position — the strait stays open. If Oman won’t cooperate, then we will have to blow them up,” Trump told reporters at the White House, according to a transcript confirmed by two administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The extraordinary threat — the first time Washington has singled out a direct Gulf ally by name for possible military action — sent shockwaves through the Gulf Cooperation Council. Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Muscat ” categorically rejects any external threats” and reaffirmed its commitment to freedom of navigation. The Sultan’s office convened an emergency session of the Consultative Assembly late Wednesday night.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps weighed in with its own statement late Wednesday, saying new fighting is “unlikely based on enemy weakness” but adding that Tehran is prepared to repel any vessel attempting to breach its improvised mine line and anti-ship missile batteries inside the strait.
“We are not looking for war, but we will not hesitate to defend our waters,” said IRGC Navy Commander Adm. Ali Reza Tangsiri, according to the Tasnim news agency. “The strait is not America’s backyard.”
Oman has long served as a discreet back-channel between Washington and Tehran. US and Iranian officials confirmed to Al Jazeera that Omani mediators have been in continuous contact with both sides since Tuesday, attempting to broker a face-saving formula under which Iran removes portions of the mine line in exchange for a temporary suspension of the US maximalist sanctions menu. Three separate proposals have been tabled and rejected in the past 48 hours, the officials said.
Oil markets reacted sharply. Brent crude surged to $102.80 per barrel — the highest level since the 2022 Ukraine invasion — before paring gains to around $100.40 as traders weighed whether Trump’s threat was negotiating position or a genuine preparation for kinetic action. Two US officials said the USS Truman carrier strike group has not received orders to move into the strait but has been placed on a 48-hour advisory notice.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia both issued carefully worded statements calling for “restraint and dialogue.” Neither endorsed the Omani threat publicly. Qatar, which hosts the US Central Command forward headquarters, said only that it was “deeply concerned” and offered to host another round of emergency talks “at any time.”
Britain’s Foreign Secretary called the situation “deeply alarming” and said HMS Diamond, currently in the Gulf, has not been instructed to approach the mine line. “We are watching very closely,” she told the BBC.
The UN Security Council was expected to hold another closed emergency session Thursday morning at the request of the UAE and Bahrain.
This is a developing story. Updates to follow.