The recent threats by US President Donald Trump to strike Oman because of its negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz have surprised and upset Muscat, which tends not to take these threats seriously.
This was reported by the Monitor website in an article yesterday, citing Omani sources.
The Monitor reported: “When President Donald Trump first threatened to bomb Oman, Omani officials were stunned and initially wondered if he had misspoke. However, Trump’s renewed threat this week was met with considerable displeasure 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 threat to bomb, while his new threat was met with disapproval." According to an Omani source, Muscat kept Washington informed of its talks with Iran, so Trump's threats surprised us.
A source in Muscat considered Trump's threats to Oman to be a result of his attempt to find a "scapegoat" for his failure in the war against Iran, and said: "In reality, 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 time after time."
For his part, a former US official stressed that the Sultanate of Oman was a "trusted messenger" for Washington and helped during the early months of the Trump administration to facilitate meetings between the Iranians and US envoy Steve Wittkopf.
Trump told Fox News on Monday, "If Oman gets in our way, we will bomb them mercilessly." Speaking to reporters later that day, he added, "I don't think they've behaved very well, but we'll deal with them very easily, just like we do with others."
According to the Associated Press, US officials believe that Oman has made too many concessions in its negotiations with Iran regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz.
It is worth noting that Trump had stirred controversy last May with a similar statement against Muscat, when he said during a cabinet meeting: "Oman must act like the others, or we will be forced to destroy it."
