Omani officials comment on Trump’s threats to bomb the Sultanate

Al-Monitor reported this in an article yesterday, citing Omani sources.

Al-Monitor said: When President Donald Trump first threatened to bomb Oman, Omani officials were astonished and initially wondered whether he had made a mistake in his words. However, Trump's renewed threat this week was met with great dissatisfaction in a country that has long sought to play the role of a neutral mediator in the Middle East.

Omani officials told the website: “We were shocked by Trump’s first bombing threat, while his new threat was met with resentment.”

According to an Omani source, Muscat kept Washington informed of its talks with Iran, so Trump’s threats raised our eyebrows.

A source in Muscat considered that Trump's threats to Oman stem from his attempt to find a "scapegoat" for his failure in the war against Iran, and said: "In fact, we do not take the matter seriously."

According to an Omani diplomat, "Muscat has begun to get used to the fact that such threats are repeated and heard again and again."

In turn, a former American official stressed that the Sultanate of Oman was a “trusted messenger” for Washington and helped the Trump administration during the first months in facilitating meetings between the Iranians and American envoy Steve Witkoff.

“If Oman stands in our way, we will bomb them mercilessly,” Trump told Fox News on Monday. Speaking to reporters later the same day, he added: “I don’t think (Oman) behaved very well, but we will deal with them quite easily as we do with others.”

According to the Associated Press, American officials believe that the Sultanate of Oman made too many concessions in its negotiations with Iran regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz.

It is noteworthy that Trump had sparked controversy last May with a similar statement against Muscat, when he said during a cabinet meeting: “Oman must act like others, otherwise we will be forced to destroy it.”