According to Fox News, US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it ‘obstructs’ the US administration’s talks with Iran.
According to a reporter for the network, President Trump made this statement during a phone call on Monday. In the same conversation, he also claimed that the US has a direct secret connection with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The IRGC later denied this claim, saying that it is not involved in any talks with the US. However, Iranian officials said on Monday that an agreement with Oman on the issue of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is close to being finalized.
On the other hand, a 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran is also ending on Monday. This memorandum was based on the commitment of both countries to continue further negotiations to reach a final agreement.
Oman, which claims to be neutral in the dispute, has faced several attacks by Iran since the war began. But it is now playing a role in talks with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has largely closed the vital waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes, since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. Reopening the route has been a key topic of negotiations.
Washington is also pushing to reopen the route. “If Oman gets in the way, we will bomb it very hard,” Trump said, according to Fox News’ Trey Youngest.
In the same interview, Trump also claimed that secret talks were underway between the US and the IRGC, a claim denied by a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards. The IRGC is considered a major military, political and economic power in Iran.
“There are no negotiations between the IRGC officials and the Americans,” the spokesman told the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Trump’s claims are just imaginary things that are the result of illusions and nightmares arising from failure and helplessness in the war,” the spokesman said.
Trump’s threat came as Iran announced on Monday that an agreement had been reached between the two sides regarding the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
“An understanding has been reached regarding the map of the passage route,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told reporters in Tehran.
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