President Trump warned Oman not to interfere with U.S.-Iran negotiations as the 60-day memorandum expired and Tehran pushed its own Strait of Hormuz shipping arrangement.
President Donald Trump delivered a blunt warning to Oman on Monday, making clear the United States will not tolerate any country getting in the way of the administration's efforts to secure a peace deal with Iran. In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said that if Oman interferes with Washington's push to end the conflict, the U.S. will respond with overwhelming force.
The warning came as the 60-day memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran expired without a comprehensive agreement, and as Iran announced it had reached an understanding with Oman over a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's message was simple: the vital waterway stays open, and no side deal will be allowed to undermine American leverage.
Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst asked the president about parallel talks between Iran and Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes. Trump's response left no room for ambiguity: if Oman gets in the way, the United States will bomb them.
Oman has long served as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, but Trump made clear that independent arrangements with Iran that cut against U.S. interests cross a line. This is not the first time he has raised the issue. In May, during a cabinet meeting, Trump warned that Oman would behave like everyone else or the United States would have to blow them up.
The administration has consistently held that no nation will be permitted to control the strait or extract concessions from shipping through it. On Friday, Trump went further, suggesting the waterway should be treated as territory of the United States, underscoring how central the passage has become to the broader standoff.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that Tehran and Muscat have agreed on the map of a proposed transit route through the strait and are working toward a joint statement. Under the arrangement reportedly under discussion, ships would enter the strait along a route near Iran and exit along one near Oman, with no fees or tolls during an interim period.
Baghaei acknowledged the talks have moved slowly and cautioned that navigation through the strait cannot be guaranteed while the U.S. maintains its naval blockade of Iranian ports. That blockade has been a centerpiece of the administration's strategy to tighten economic pressure on Tehran and force a deal on American terms.
The standoff has taken a toll on global markets. Strikes on shipping and blockades have slowed traffic through the strait and rattled oil prices, making the reopening of the waterway one of the most consequential pieces of the entire negotiation.
Trump made clear he is in no rush, telling reporters the blockade is working and that pressure on Tehran will continue to build. He also called on Iran to put up the white flag of surrender, according to Yingst's account of the interview.
In a post on Truth Social, the president reiterated the core of his position: the number one goal is, and always will be, ensuring Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon in any way, shape, or form. That line has defined the administration's approach from the start and remains the fixed point around which all negotiations turn.
Monday's expiration of the 60-day memorandum leaves the situation in flux, but the president has signaled he is content to let the blockade do its work. The administration has repeatedly said it is prepared to act decisively if diplomacy fails, and the warning to Oman fits that pattern.
The coming days will show whether Iran and Oman finalize their proposed transit arrangement and how Washington responds if they do. The administration has made its position unmistakable: any arrangement for the strait must run through the United States, not around it.
With the memorandum expired and no comprehensive deal in place, the pressure is squarely on Tehran. The president has offered a path to peace while making clear the alternative. For Oman, the message is equally direct: stay out of the way, and the negotiations can proceed. Interfere, and face the full weight of American military power.
President Trump warned Oman not to interfere with U.S.-Iran negotiations as the 60-day memorandum expired and Tehran pushed its own Strait of Hormuz shipping arrangement.
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