Oman becomes a “sandwich layer”! Trump threatens to launch a military attack if the US-Iran conflict is blocked

The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to reports, US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning in a telephone interview, saying that if Oman blocks the US military's blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the US side will take military action against them.

In an interview, Trump bluntly said, “If Oman gets in the way, we'll blow them up.” He also said that the current maritime blockade has put effective pressure on Iran, and said that he has not set a timeline for the resolution of the conflict, stressing that “we are not in a hurry to achieve results.”

The military conflict between Iran and the US, which has continued for nearly six months, still shows no clear sign of ending. Negotiations between the US and Iran aimed at achieving lasting peace have stalled, and intermittent clashes between the two sides have seriously disrupted the normal transportation of oil and other key commodities through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy route. The conflict continues to push up oil and gas prices, putting additional political pressure on Trump's Republican Party before the November midterm elections.

Oman is playing a delicate and critical role in this conflict. As a Gulf country that has long pursued a “fair mediation” foreign policy, Oman assisted the Gulf countries in reopening their airspace in the early stages of the conflict, provided navigation services (including US ships) for ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz, and hosted two rounds of nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran.

Trump had previously warned Oman to “abide by the rules, or we'll have to blow you up.” Furthermore, this neutral position is being increasingly pressured by the US side. Trump's “collateral deterrence” against Oman reflects that while maintaining the intensity of the blockade, the US is trying to prevent third countries from becoming Iran's supply channel.

According to statistics from the International Maritime Organization, as of August 11, there had been about 65 confirmed incidents involving ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East during the conflict, and 17 seafarers were killed. Recent attacks have continued.

The Strait of Hormuz is the only route for about one-third of the world's oil shipments. Any blockade or military upgrade directly threatens the stability of the energy supply chain. Geographic risk premiums have continued to push up crude oil and natural gas prices. If the conflict spreads further to neighboring countries such as Oman, the energy market may face a more severe supply shock, which in turn will increase inflationary pressure, causing the Trump administration, which is already facing economic headwinds, to fall into a more passive situation before the general election.