After Iran showdown, Trump threatens to blow up Oman for this reason

As talks over the Iran war struggle to crawl forward, US President Donald Trump's aggressive rhetoric has now spilled over to Oman. During a tense Cabinet meeting, he warned that no country would be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, not even Muscat.

On Wednesday, the US President rejected a report claimed Iran and Oman would control shipping through the strait as part of a new framework to end the war.

"Nobody's going to control it," Trump said. "It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up."

Trump's statement stunned many because Oman has been one of Washington's closest and oldest Gulf partners. It hosts American military cooperation programmes and has often acted as a quiet mediator between the US and Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz has been the flashpoint of negotiations aimed at ending the US-Israel war against Iran. Before the conflict began earlier this year, nearly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas moved through the narrow waterway every day.

WHITE HOUSE REJECTS IRAN'S HORMUZ DRAFT

Earlier in the day, Iranian state TV claimed an unofficial draft agreement would allow commercial shipping through Hormuz to return to pre-war levels within a month.

Iran and Oman would jointly oversee shipping traffic under the reported proposal. As part of the proposed memorandum of understanding, the US would reduce its military presence around Iran and end its naval blockade.

But the White House dismissed the report as a "complete fabrication".

Trump later repeated that the strait would remain under international access rules.

"We'll watch over it, but nobody's going to control it," he said.

TRUMP LINKS IRAN DEAL TO ABRAHAM ACCORDS

The US President increased pressure on Gulf and Muslim-majority nations to join the Abraham Accords. The agreements, brokered during Trump's first term, normalised ties between Israel and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Trump said Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan should now officially join the framework.

"I think they owe that to us, to be honest," Trump said. He added that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were actively working on the issue.

In a sign that any potential agreement remained elusive, the Republican leader also said that future progress with Iran could depend on whether more countries join the accords.

"I'm not sure we should make the deal if they don't sign," he said.

NUCLEAR TALKS STILL STUCK

Other than the strait, Iran's nuclear programme remains another major obstacle. The Iranian television report did not mention dismantling Tehran's nuclear activities, even though Washington continues to demand strict limits.

According to the news agency Reuters, Iranian officials have demanded that nuclear issues should be discussed in a second phase of negotiations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected any compromise on the matter.

"The bottom line is Iran's never going to have a nuclear weapon," Rubio said during the Cabinet meeting. On multiple occasions, Trump demanded Iran to surrender the highly enriched uranium. He also ruled out sanction relief in exchange for surrendering the uranium dust.

WAR CREATES PRESSURE AT HOME

The conflict has also created political problems for Trump inside his homeland. Recent opinion polls show the war remains unpopular among American voters, especially as energy prices continue to rise.

Instead of softening his stance, he doubled down on opposition.

"I don't care about the midterms," he said.

This comes less than six months before crucial midterm elections that could decide whether Republicans retain control of Congress.