Washington, Aug 17. (dpa/GNA) – President Donald Trump, lashed out at Oman on Monday, threatening to bomb the Gulf state if it “gets in the way” of US efforts to reach a peace deal with Iran.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst reported Trump saying during a phone interview on Monday.
Oman is not currently an active party to the conflict, and has long acted as a back channel between Washington and Tehran. The Gulf state has been working for weeks to negotiate an agreement with Iran on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains closed to traffic.
A framework agreement signed by Iran and the United States in June, called for Oman and Iran to jointly work out arrangements for shipping through the strait, in consultation with other countries bordering the strategic waterway and in accordance with international law.
Oman has reported constructive talks, but no agreement has yet been announced. Trump had already caused surprise in May with a threat directed at Muscat. “Oman will behave just like everyone else, or we’ll have to blow them up,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting.
Oman is sometimes referred to as the “Switzerland of the Middle East” because of its role as an international mediator in regional conflicts and has repeatedly acted as an intermediary between the US and Iran.
Trump also said he was in no rush despite the expiry on Monday of a 60-day deadline set out in the framework agreement for the two sides to reach a final peace deal, including on Iran’s nuclear programme. “I’m not in a hurry,” Trump reportedly said to Fox News.
He suggested Iran “put up the white flag of surrender” in the face of mounting pressure. “They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump said.
GNA