Trump threatens Oman. Again.
The US president reportedly told Fox News he’d “bomb the s--- out of” Oman if it “gets in the way” on the Strait of Hormuz — a sequel to his May line that Oman must “behave” or be “blown up.” Oman says it’s facilitating safe navigation, not trying to “control” anything.
Threats over Hormuz can become costs for shippers far from the Gulf.
Donald Trump has reportedly threatened to bomb Oman for the second time in three months over the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Associated Press, citing Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, Trump said on August 17 that “if Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s--- out of them.” Fox has not released the audio.
It follows Trump’s May 27 Cabinet-room flourish—recorded in a transcript cited by US officials—in which he said, when asked about an Iran–Oman role in managing transit, “Nobody is going to control it,” and “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up.” That was not a slip: subsequent reporting noted the transcript explicitly said “Oman,” not Iran.
Oman, for its part, has been publishing the boring details that usually keep ships moving. In late June it said, with Iran, that they’re discussing navigation administration, services and costs “in accordance with international standards” to keep the Strait a “secure and open waterway.” It also announced a temporary no-fee corridor coordinated with the International Maritime Organization. In mid-July Muscat reiterated it is working “transparently and neutrally” with all parties under international law.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry added on August 17 that an “understanding” had been reached on a route map, with a joint statement still to come, per AP. That is not the same as Iran and Oman deciding to “control” the Strait—something Oman has not claimed in any of its public notes.
For Indian shippers and insurers—Hyderabad pharma to Krishnapatnam exporters—the difference between neutral traffic management and “bomb the s--- out of them” is the premium on a bill of lading. The BJP-led Centre can either work the phones to keep oil lanes calm or warm up to Washington’s reality-TV doctrine and pass the risk to states. Guess who pays when Gulf waters spike insurance. The transcript did not threaten our premiums; the threat did.