US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" with Iran, in comments made to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst. This is not the first time Trump has made such threats against Oman, as he previously told reporters in May that "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up". The threat comes as Iran says it is working with Oman on a plan to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' with Iran
Not the first time that Trump has threatened Oman during the current Iran conflict
U.S. President Donald Trump has again threatened Oman as Iran says it is working with the Gulf Arab country on a plan to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
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it → threaten → Hormuz
Fully reopening the waterway has been a key U.S. demand.
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reopening → reopen → waterway
Meanwhile, the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the United States and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were at the start.
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they → find → start
Iran nearing deal with Oman
Iran said it has reached an agreement with Oman over a plan for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the two countries, and they are now working to finalize details for a joint statement.
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they → near → statement
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran, Iran's capital, that "an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route."
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understanding → tell → route
He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman.
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ships → elaborate → Oman
Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during an interim period.
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Ships → transit → period
The U.S. has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports.
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U.S. → seek → ports
Iran effectively closed the strait — through which roughly one-fifth of the world's traded oil supplies passed before the war — after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28.
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Israel → close → Feb.
Previous Trump threat against Oman
Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the U.S. would bomb Oman if it "gets in the way," using an expletive for emphasis.
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it → tell → emphasis
Fox News did not provide audio of the interview.
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News → provide → interview
This is not the first time that Trump has threatened Oman.
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Trump → threaten → Oman
In May, he told reporters during a cabinet meeting that "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up."
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we → tell → them
Trump also said the expiration of the 60-day deadline on talks to end the war was irrelevant and said there was no timeline, Yingst said.
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Yingst → say → war
Trump said the U.S. has a back channel for talks with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Yingst added.
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Yingst → say → Corps
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres wants Iran and the U.S. to resume peace negotiations, saying there is no military solution to the conflict, according to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
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Iran → want → Dujarric
Dujarric said the UN chief also thinks the countries need to "lower the rhetoric that we've been hearing in recent days."
Houthi rebels claim attacks
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they attacked a ship and four military boats on Monday in the Red Sea off the Yemeni city of Mokha, near the strategic Bab el-Mandab Strait.
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they → say → Strait
The rebels fired a number of ballistic missiles at the vessels, resulting in the capsizing and burning of the boats, Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement.
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Saree → fire → statement
The rebels claimed that the vessels belonged to Saudi Arabia, without providing evidence.
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vessels → claim → evidence
There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia, and The Associated Press could not independently verify the Houthi claim.
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Press → be → claim
Saree also said the rebels launched a drone attack on government forces in the central province of Marib.
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rebels → say → Marib
Drone attacks target Iraqi officials
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attacks → target → officials
Two officials in northern Iraq were targeted in drone attacks that the regional counterterrorism service said were launched from the border with Iran.
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service → target → Iran
One was fired at the office of Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, and the other targeted the home of a top regional intelligence official, the counterterrorism service said.
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service → fire → official
Since the beginning of the U.S. and Israel-Iran war, Iran and Iranian-backed Iraqi militant groups have launched regular attacks on U.S. military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq and on bases of exiled Iranian Kurdish dissident groups, but Monday's direct attack on regional government buildings was unusual.
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attack → back → buildings
Barzani on X called the attack "a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region."
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Barzani → call → Region
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to be trying to distance Iran from the attack.
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Araghchi → appear → attack
He said on social media that nothing justified the attack on Barzani and that "Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbours."
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friends → say → neighbours
U.S. forces currently stationed in the Kurdish region of Iraq have begun withdrawing ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline agreed upon between Washington and Baghdad to end the U.S. military presence in Iraq.
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forces → station → Iraq
