President Donald Trump warned he would "bomb the shit out of" Oman if the Gulf state impedes his Iran negotiations, a statement made as the 60‑day memorandum of understanding expires and the Strait of Hormuz—carrying roughly 20% of global oil and LNG—remains largely closed.
During a Fox interview Trump claimed the United States could control the strait and dismissed any extension of the interim deal, while experts cited in a PBS discussion said the MOU failed due to a lack of mutual goodwill and Iran’s intent to retain strait authority. Iran and Oman have been negotiating separately to reopen commercial shipping.
The continued blockage has pushed fuel prices higher and intensified political pressure on the administration ahead of the November midterm elections, as market participants monitor the impact on global energy supplies and shipping routes.
PBS analysts argue the U.S. lacks the capability to keep the strait open militarily, contradicting Trump’s assertion of control, and they attribute the MOU collapse to ambiguous terms, whereas Trump and other commentators blame Iran’s refusal to make a satisfactory deal.