Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman Again Over Its Shipping Deal With Iran on the Strait of Hormuz
Was Trump right to threaten military action against Oman over its Hormuz shipping deal with Iran? President Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on Monday that the United States would bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of American objectives in the Strait of Hormuz. The remark came in response to a question about talks between Oman and Iran over how to manage shipping through the waterway. Later that day in the Oval Office, Trump added that he didn't think Oman had "behaved very well," but that the U.S. would "handle them very easily."
The threat landed the same day a 60-day U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, signed in June to work toward ending the war and reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program, expired without an agreement. Iran's semiofficial Mehr News Agency said over the weekend that Tehran and Oman had reached their own arrangement on strait traffic. Shipping through Hormuz had nearly stopped, with just 13 vessels passing over the weekend according to the tracker MarineTraffic, down from roughly 130 ships a day before the war. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he will introduce a resolution barring military action against Oman when the Senate returns from recess.
This is the second time Trump has threatened Oman. In May, during a cabinet meeting, he said Oman would "behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up" when asked about a joint Iran-Oman arrangement for the strait. Oman has never been in direct conflict with the U.S. and has cast itself as a neutral mediator throughout the war, even as it came under fire from Iranian strikes aimed at nearby U.S. assets. Neither Oman's government nor other Gulf states have issued a public rebuke of the latest threat.
Arguments for:
Administration officials argue sustained pressure, including the naval blockade, is what pushed Iran into a weaker negotiating position, and that any Oman-Iran side deal handing a third party control of the strait erodes that leverage.
Jared Kushner has said Trump is "very focused on the economic pressure" on Iran and believes the blockade is working, pointing to a battered Iranian economy as evidence.
Backers argue a blunt public threat can concentrate minds faster than quiet diplomacy, especially with the 60-day negotiating window now expired with no deal.
Arguments against:
Sen. Tim Kaine calls the threat unwarranted and plans a Senate resolution to bar military action against a country that has never fought the U.S.
Oman's former U.S. ambassador Marc Sievers said he was "puzzled" by the threat, since Trump had separately signed off on Oman holding talks with Iran over the strait's future.
Critics say threatening a neutral mediator undermines a partner the U.S. has relied on for decades of quiet Gulf diplomacy, and risks pushing Oman closer to Tehran.
What's your take?
Was Trump right to threaten military action against Oman over its Hormuz shipping deal with Iran? Yes 
No 
Other 
Sources:
Washington Post: Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he's unhappy with country's deal with Iran
NBC News: Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of Strait of Hormuz talks with Iran
#StraitOfHormuz #Oman #Iran #ForeignPolicy #MiddleEast
Now let's hear from you.
You get one Take and 3 ratings so use them well.
Strong arguments beat loud ones.
Don't forget to rate your own Take.
Please don't feed the trolls.
