Trump threatens to bomb ally Oman as US-Iran war agreement expires

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, a US ally, if it interferes with his administration's talks with Iran. According to Fox News, Trump made the threat during a phone interview, stating that if Oman "gets in the way", the US will "bomb the shit out of them".

The US and Oman have been negotiating separately with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that has been largely closed for nearly six months during the US-Iran war. The strait is a key passage for about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

The threat comes as a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran is expiring, casting doubt on the possibility of striking an acceptable deal with Tehran, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. Iranian officials had reportedly been close to finalising a deal with Oman, which borders the southern side of the Strait and claims to be a neutral country in the conflict.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Sydney Morning Herald, GBC Ghana, CBS News — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.