US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump, and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
Two days after US President Donald Trump threatened the Sultanate of Oman that he would “blow them up”, Iranian and Omani foreign ministers spoke over the phone. According to an official statement from Muscat, Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the security and freedom of maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. “The two ministers stressed the importance of safeguarding maritime traffic in the strategic waterway in line with their sovereign responsibilities over their respective territorial waters and in accordance with international law,” the Omani statement said.
Trump’s threat was made in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday when he was asked about reports of Iranian and Omani arrangements to run the traffic through the strait. Trump replied, “It is international waters, and Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up”. The unexpected threat to Oman could have gone quietly had Trump mixed up “Oman” and “Iran” as he has done in previous outbursts. An American commentator once said that President Trump “speaks about the last thing he heard”, not thinking much, but just reacting to whoever had his ear. But hours later, the State Department reiterated the threat in a post on its social media page, confirming it and adding, “They [Oman] understand that.”
The next day, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted, “The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz. 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 penalised”. Though Trump later said of Oman, “They’ll be fine”, the backlash about threatening a long-standing American ally and a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) didn’t fade.
In fact, there is no concrete evidence that Oman is colluding with Iran to set up a system to control the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Moreover, Oman is an important part of the American presence in West Asia. Trump may not be pleased by Oman’s neutral stance on the war against Iran. Its foreign minister previously criticised the war, implying that Israel drew America into it. In an article for the Economist earlier, Al Busaidi argued that the war is a mistake and came as Omani mediation was about to bear fruit.
Of course it was expected that Iran would be the first to condemn Trump’s threat to Oman, but that might not count for much as it was an inevitable response. The shock was clear even in America, similar to what occurred with Fox News anchor John Roberts, who appeared visibly stunned on-air after hearing Trump’s threat, noting he was unaware of any previous US president threatening military action against Oman. His reaction, echoed by journalists and analysts online, underscored the extraordinary nature of the comment given traditionally peaceful US-Oman relations. US Senator Chris Murphy sharply criticised the president for his comment. He wrote on social media, “The threat to ‘blow up’ Oman, a US ally and key intermediary in talks with Iran, is just one more sign of why this war has gone off the rails. They [the Trump administration] are in constant panic mode, making mistake after mistake.”
Relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the US date back to the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce, making Oman one of the first Arab Gulf states to establish formal ties with America. In 1840, Sultan Said bin Sultan sent the ship Sultana to New York carrying the first official Arab envoy to the United States; an early symbol of mutual respect and openness between the two nations. Though Oman officially ignored Trump’s threat, the Omani public was shocked as political commentator Abbas Al Zadjali wrote in Times of Oman on Saturday. He said that Trump’s statement “cannot simply be dismissed as another impulsive outburst or political joke. It touched a matter far deeper: national dignity”.
Like many Omanis who expressed their anger on social media, Al Zadjali said that “at a minimum, many believe a public apology is warranted”. He added, “Respect cannot be built through threats. Alliances cannot survive humiliation. Nations are ultimately judged not only by military power, but by their values, credibility, and loyalty toward those who stood by them in times of crisis.” Some analysts argue that Trump’s comments on Oman are no different from other outbursts that ultimately proved to be empty threats, but the backlash it has caused is reinforcing the view that America’s allies are more and more uncertain of its credibility as a trusted ally.
Threatening a GCC country in the midst of a conflict where America relies on the region to facilitate its military operations is hard to fathom, as a Gulf-based commentator told Al-Ahram Weekly. Even though Oman is different from other GCC members, it is still essential to the US war effort as he further stressed.
No official response from Oman is expected, and they will probably let the “rant go away as if it was not there”, as one Omani journalist put it. But contrary to what the Saudis did when Trump cracked a silly joke about their crown prince, ordinary Omanis are taking to social media to respond. Some of them are even calling for summoning the American ambassador in Muscat in protest. And media commentators are openly criticising Trump’s threat. That might not stop Oman from pursuing its diplomatic path as a mediator, which won it the title of Switzerland of the Middle East. The Gulf commentators made an analogy with Qatar, whose role as an intermediary between the US and its adversaries has not been affected by American public criticism.
In the same sense, the threat would not push Oman further towards Iran as many might think. Many Omanis interviewed by the Weekly stress the fact that their country will maintain its position of neutrality. Muscat continues to believe this to be an “unprovoked” war instigated by the Israelis who managed to involve the Americans and that dialogue and diplomatic solution is the way forward.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 June, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
Short link: