WASHINGTON (Realist English). On 17 August, US President Donald Trump threatened to launch a military strike on Oman – a long-standing ally of Washington – if the Sultanate “gets in the way” of US efforts in the Strait of Hormuz.
“If Oman interferes, we’ll bomb the hell out of them,” Trump said in a Fox News interview.
The threat came on the day the 60‑day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran expired without producing a peace agreement.
The White House’s frustration stems from talks between Oman and Iran on organising safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz – precisely what the memorandum, which Trump himself called the “greatest Middle East deal,” had demanded of Tehran.
The seventh country on ‘Trump’s list’
As CNN notes, the threat to Oman is just the latest episode in a long string of promises the president has never fulfilled. Oman became the seventh country that Trump has threatened to attack but never struck. The list includes Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Greenland (part of Denmark), Mexico and Panama.
“Trump appears to have adopted a policy in the Iran war based on threats he is not particularly inclined to carry out – if he ever meant them at all,” CNN writes.
Analysts recall that back in April 2026, Trump had already made five threats to Iran with specific demands and deadlines – and each time he cancelled the promised strikes. On 22 July, he declared that for every Iranian attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the US would “bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant.” However, after a series of attacks on UAE tankers, which Washington blamed on Tehran, no US response followed.
“The problem is that this makes countries like Oman less inclined to comply with Trump’s demands, because they don’t necessarily believe he is ready to carry out his threats,” CNN concludes.
Ship strike and Oman’s silence
Trump’s threats coincided with a new incident in the Strait of Hormuz. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a vessel transiting the strait was struck by an “unknown projectile.”
The strike hit the engine room, with one crew member injured. The remaining crew are receiving assistance from Oman’s coast guard.
Oman, for its part, has not yet publicly responded to Trump’s threats. The country continues to play the role of key mediator between Tehran and Washington. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly called the threats to bomb Oman “pointless”: “Oman is a critically important negotiator with Iran. Making more enemies by threatening to bomb it makes no sense.”
South Korea and ‘spontaneous’ diplomacy
Amid the Hormuz crisis, Trump also announced the reduction of military exercises with South Korea – a US ally since the 1950s. The reasons cited were the cost of the exercises, Seoul’s refusal to participate in the war against Iran, and the desire not to “upset” Kim Jong‑un.
As CNN notes, the moves against Oman and South Korea are “not isolated incidents.” They are “symptomatic of a foreign policy devoid of conventional strategy, consciously sidelining diplomats and experts, and apparently driven solely by the president’s intuition.”
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis called Trump’s actions “the exact opposite of what we should be doing right now.”
Iran’s response and uncertainty
Iran, for its part, continues talks with Oman, calling them “complex but ongoing.” Tehran denies the existence of a direct channel of communication with the IRGC, which Trump claimed.
Oil prices, according to CNN, began to rise amid renewed uncertainty. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping, and the situation in the region continues to escalate.
Trump has found himself trapped by his own rhetoric. Six months of war, promises of a “quick victory” and dozens of unfulfilled threats have undermined trust not only in him, but in US deterrence as a whole.
Oman, which tried to help Trump out of his own crisis, has now become a target itself. The question is whether the White House can find a diplomatic way out – or whether the string of “hollow threats” will ultimately lead to an escalation that no one can control.
