DeepState Network Washington Bureau Published: May 28, 2026
WASHINGTON — In a stunning departure from decades of established Middle Eastern diplomacy, President Donald Trump has threatened to launch military strikes against the Sultanate of Oman if the Gulf nation attempts to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz alongside Iran.
The escalatory remarks were delivered casually during a cabinet meeting at the White House, sending shockwaves through diplomatic circles in Washington and Muscat. Oman has long been regarded as one of America’s oldest and most reliable strategic partners in the region, frequently acting as a neutral backchannel mediator between Western powers and Tehran.
The Toll Road in International Waters
The sudden geopolitical friction stems from ongoing, sensitive negotiations to end a near-three-month regional conflict that has choked off global energy supplies. Intelligence briefings reveal that Iranian and Omani officials have floated proposals to jointly regulate and charge transit tolls on commercial vessels navigating the narrow choke point.
Before the outbreak of the recent conflict, the Strait of Hormuz served as the conduit for roughly 20 percent of the world's petroleum liquids.When questioned about whether the United States would tolerate a short-term peace agreement that placed the waterway under local control, President Trump rejected the premise entirely
"The strait is going to be open to everybody. Nobody is going to control it," Trump told reporters. "We'll watch over it, but nobody is going to control it. That's part of the negotiation that we have. They would like to control it. It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up."
Stalling Tactics and Economic Freefall
The President’s heavy-handed rhetoric directed at Oman comes as the administration accuses Iran of intentionally drawing out peace negotiations to run down the clock ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections.
They thought they were going to outwait me," Trump stated, asserting that Tehran's strategy to pressure global markets by keeping the strait restricted would ultimately collapse. He emphasized that the Iranian economic infrastructure is currently in freefall under severe American pressure, citing localized hyperinflation and a broken economic system.
Trump warned that if current diplomatic tracks do not yield an agreement favorable to US terms immediately, the military path remains imminent: "Either that, or we will just have to finish the job."
Inside the State Department and Pentagon, officials speaking on the condition of anonymity expressed deep concern over the long-term fallout of the President's public threat. Oman’s unique position as a diplomatic bridge-builder has been central to regional stability for generations
By placing Oman in the same crosshairs as Iran, the administration risks alienating moderate Gulf states and upending security architectures that protect international shipping lanes.
As of Thursday morning, the Omani Embassy in Washington has not issued a formal response to the President's remarks, though sources within Muscat indicate that emergency security meetings are underway
DNN
