Washington. US President Donald Trump threatened yesterday to bomb Oman "mercilessly if it gets in the way" of negotiations with Iran, 60 days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at an agreement to end the war that he and Israel began on February 28.
"If Oman gets in the way, we're going to bomb them and smash them to pieces," Trump told Fox News, referring to talks between Oman and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Republican president indicated from the White House that he is not seeking an extension of the memorandum: "they want to reach an agreement, but they're not going to make the deal that I consider necessary," and insisted that "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."
Earlier, Trump demanded that Tehran "raise the white flag of surrender," and claimed that his administration has direct contact with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which that military body later denied.
Alluding to Iran, he asserted that "they're good poker players, but they're dying," and stated: "I have no deadline, I'm no hurry... (for Iran's surrender) The midterm elections have nothing to do with my thinking," referring to the elections in which polls anticipate the Republican Party may lose its majority in Congress.
His son-in-law and Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, described discussions between Washington and Tehran as "very positive."
Speaking to Fox News, Kushner added that while there was not "much trust" between the two warring parties after "all these years of absence of relations and dialogue (...), both sides are very seriously engaged."
From Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps maintained that "there is no dialogue between its representatives and the Americans. This false statement by Trump is nothing more than a fantasy born of his imagination and the nightmares that are the result of his desperation and defeat in the war," spokesman Hosein Mohebi told the Tasnim agency.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei asserted that the serious violations committed by the United States rendered the deadline of the memorandum null and void, and added that its forces are prepared to respond in the event of an attack, Al Jazeera reported.
A senior Iranian official warned that Tehran has shifted from a defensive to a "fully offensive" policy in the face of stalled efforts to reach an agreement to definitively end its war with the United States, Reuters reported.
"Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and across the region, as Iran will be willing to make decisions and take action in difficult situations," the Iranian official stated.
He added that Tehran would carry out a "timely and precise" military attack to break the US naval blockade if the diplomatic path fails.
Iran and Oman are moving toward a joint declaration to manage traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The two countries have been talking for weeks about future navigation agreements through that waterway.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, in Abu Dhabi yesterday to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, as Muscat faces growing pressure from Washington over its efforts to mediate with Tehran and reopen maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
US arms up
The US Navy awarded Raytheon (RTX) a $22.9 billion contract to increase production of Tomahawk long-range missiles to more than 1,000 annually, which will last for seven years.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged the United States and Iran to resume negotiations "as soon as possible," and called for avoiding further military actions.
Tehran denied responsibility for the drones that struck the office of the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masrour Barzani, and described the incident as "suspicious."
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack and called on Iran's "Kurdish friends" to "remain vigilant against possible maneuvers aimed at pitting neighboring countries against each other."
Yemen's Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a Saudi military vessel and escorts off the Yemeni city of Mocha.
