A White House Cabinet meeting on Wednesday turned heads across the globe after President Donald Trump put a decades-long American partner squarely in his crosshairs.
The target: Oman, a Gulf nation that has quietly served as one of Washington’s most reliable back-channel diplomats in the Middle East for over four decades.
The moment came when a reporter posed a pointed question — would Trump accept a short-term arrangement giving Iran and Oman joint authority over the Strait of Hormuz?
Trump shut the idea down without hesitation.
“The strait’s gotta be open to everybody,” Trump said. “Nobody’s going to control it. We’ll watch over it. But nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have.”
He then pivoted to Oman directly, delivering language that ricocheted across international capitals within hours.
“Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine,” Trump stated.
Iran had signaled an interest in imposing a new reality in the Strait of Hormuz — extracting tolls from passing ships and dividing the revenues with Oman.
The Trump administration wasted no time pushing back on any suggestion that arrangement was in play.
Iran’s state television had reported on a draft memorandum of understanding that would grant Iran and Oman joint management authority over the waterway. The White House labeled that report “a complete fabrication.”
The State Department drove the message home further by immediately amplifying the President’s warning on X, posting the video the moment the Cabinet meeting wrapped.
The strait has sat effectively closed for nearly 90 days following the military operation launched by the United States, disrupting major oil and natural gas shipping corridors and sending global energy prices sharply higher.
Economists warn that the effects on consumer prices could linger for months regardless of when a resolution is reached.
Oman’s role in this standoff is not new. The sultanate brokered critical dialogue between Washington and Tehran that produced the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement.
It has also maintained a U.S. defense partnership stretching back to 1980. Oman’s Port of Duqm — a strategically positioned deep-water facility outside the Strait of Hormuz — has served as a maintenance and repair hub for U.S. Navy vessels.
Trump did not limit his warnings to Oman. He trained his rhetoric on Iran throughout the session, making plain that Tehran needs an agreement far more than Washington does.
“Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal,” Trump said. “So far, they haven’t gotten there. We’re not satisfied with it, but then we will be. We will be either that, or we’ll have to just finish the job.”
The President gestured toward Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he spelled out the consequences of Iranian intransigence.
“I think we’ll be doing very well. They are starting to give us the things that they have to give us. If they do, that’s great, and if they won’t then the man on my left is going to finish them off,” Trump said.
Trump characterized Iran’s military as a spent force, declaring its navy and air force have been destroyed. Intelligence assessments, however, indicate Tehran has rebuilt a significant portion of its pre-war capabilities, including ballistic missiles and launch infrastructure.
“The Navy is gone, as I’ve said 1000 times. The Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, everything’s gone, and they’re negotiating on fumes,” Trump said. “But we’ll see what happens. Maybe we have to go back and finish it. Maybe we don’t right now.”
Trump accused Iran of trying to run out the clock — stalling negotiations in hopes of outlasting him until November’s midterm elections.
Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner remain active in the diplomatic effort.
The U.S. is demanding a full Iranian commitment to abandon nuclear weapons development and relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iran wants the American naval blockade lifted — the stranglehold that has severed its oil exports to China and Southeast Asia.
The two sides remain far apart, and the strait stays shut.
