'Oman will behave or we'll have to blow them up': Trump threatens over Strait of Hormuz control
Oman, a key US ally, has attempted to mediate the Middle East conflict and has itself faced attacks from Tehran
President Donald Trump yesterday (27 May) appeared to threaten military action against US ally Oman if it sides with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said Oman must "behave" or he would "blow them up" when asked whether he would accept a short-term deal allowing Iran and the Gulf state to control the waterway.
"No, the Strait is going to be open to everybody," Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House, reports NDTV.
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"It's international waters, and Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine."
The White House did not immediately respond to questions from AFP on whether Trump had misspoken and intended to refer to Iran instead of Oman.
Oman, a key US ally, has attempted to mediate the Middle East conflict and has itself faced attacks from Tehran.
The US State Department later shared a clip and transcript of Trump's remarks about Oman without issuing any correction or clarification.
Earlier, the 79-year-old also appeared to confuse Iran with Venezuela, saying the South American nation, whose leader Nicolas Maduro was toppled by US forces in January, "no longer has a navy, no longer has an air force."
Trump has repeatedly used similar language in reference to Iran, which the US and Israel attacked on 28 February.
Iran has signalled that it wants to establish a new arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil passes, by imposing tolls on ships and sharing the revenue with Oman.
Trump has become increasingly frustrated as efforts to end the Middle East conflict and reopen the strait appear to have stalled again, only days after he said a deal was close.
