Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Hormuz Strait talks

US President Donald Trump warned on Monday, in an interview with Fox News, that Washington would bomb Oman if the Gulf state "gets in the way" of talks between the United States and Iran over the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

Oman's capital Muscat is currently negotiating with Tehran over joint control of shipping through the strait, which before the US and Israeli war against Iran carried roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply. No consensus has yet been reached in these consultations.

August 17 marked the expiry of a 60-day window for US-Iran talks set out in a memorandum of understanding Trump signed in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit. During that period, Washington and Tehran were expected to reach agreement on sanctions against Iran, its nuclear program and other disputed issues.

Tensions rising

In the same Fox News interview on August 17, Trump said Iran should "raise the white flag and surrender," and indicated he does not intend to set a new deadline for negotiations.

Even before the memorandum's deadline expired, hostilities between Iran and the US resumed. In July, Iran attacked several vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while the US carried out a series of airstrikes on targets in Iran, saying the goal was to weaken Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the strait. Iran, in turn, struck several sites in neighboring Gulf countries, claiming its targets were American military bases.

On August 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a phone call with Trump, urged him to continue negotiations with Iran to de-escalate the situation in the region, offering Ankara's mediation.