Donald Trump issued a chilling warning to longtime ally Oman during a cabinet meeting. Addressing the media, he spoke about ongoing US negotiations with Iran. He also seemingly referred to reports that Oman had discussed imposing joint tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz with Tehran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later clarified that there are no such tolling plans with Iran.
Donald Trump sends chilling warning to US ally
The Department of State took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a clip where Trump speaks about the Strait of Hormuz and how it shouldn’t be controlled during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. He also appeared to be addressing the US negotiations, plus earlier reports of Oman and Tehran’s joint tolling of ships.
The president said, “The strait’s gotta be open to everybody. It’s international waters. Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have.”
He reiterated that no country is allowed to control it, as “it’s international waters.” Giving a firm warning to Oman on earlier reports, he added, ” And Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow ’em up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.”
Following the threat, Bessent was asked whether the White House has any plans to wage another war with Oman. He said, “I think the President wanted to punctuate freedom of navigation in the strait.” He mentioned that he spoke with the Omani ambassador to the US, who “assured” him that they aren’t planning anything to toll the ships passing the Strait with Iran.
Bessent claimed that the Omani ambassador only reaffirmed the long-standing relationship between the two countries, trying to water down any potential tensions caused by earlier reports. “Our countries have had 200 years of good relations; he wants to have another 200 more,” Bessent recalled what the ambassador said (via The New York Post).
Originally reported by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
