Trump threatens to "bomb" Oman if it interferes with Iran talks

President Donald Trump escalated rhetoric around the Iran conflict on Monday, telling Fox News the US will strike Oman if it interferes with Washington’s negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Trey Yingst that was published today. The threat lands on the same day the 60-day US-Iran peace window expired.

What Trump said

The US president says Washington is in direct contact with Iran’s IRGC and threatened Oman over its role in negotiations, while urging Israel to halt strikes in Gaza. In a wide-ranging phone interview with Fox News, Trump called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” and said he had “no time schedule” for the conflict, adding “I’m not in a hurry.”

This isn’t the first time Trump has threatened Oman, which is a US ally. The comments mark an unusual public rebuke of a Gulf state that has historically served as a back channel between Washington and Tehran.

Why the Strait of Hormuz matters

Oman and Iran have been in talks to try to reach an agreement to restore commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which carried 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began in late February.

The dispute over control of the Strait has driven up fuel prices and put pressure on Trump to end a war that is unpopular at home ahead of the November midterms. Any disruption to the corridor tends to move crude, tankers, and defense names in tandem.

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The expiring MOU

Under that memorandum of understanding, Iran and the U.S. committed to negotiating a final deal, covering broader issues such as the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, in a maximum of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent. Monday marks 60 days since the MOU was signed.

Trump’s comments come as the 60-day window for peace talks between the US and Iran, agreed to in June, closed Monday without any concrete plans announced for the war to end. Meanwhile, Iran said Monday that its talks with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz are complex but continuing.

Options market and stocks to watch

Traders should watch energy and defense flow as headline risk around Hormuz builds:

XOM and CVX: majors most sensitive to a Hormuz disruption premium in crude.

USO: direct proxy for WTI; watch for gap risk on any escalation or de-escalation headline.

LMT and RTX: defense primes typically bid on Middle East escalation tape.

For broader coverage of the conflict and its market impact, see other news on Unusual Whales.

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