On Monday, President Donald Trump made yet another unprecedented and violent threat against a country in the Middle East. But this time the target of his ire was unexpected. Oman, an American ally for almost 200 years, would be bombed “to s***” if it interfered with a potential US-Iran peace deal, Trump told a FOX News reporter.
It was not the first time that Trump had threatened Oman, previously warning the country in May to “behave” or face potential military action. Throughout the US-Israeli war in Iran, Muscat has endured retaliatory strikes across its ports and energy infrastructure but has nevertheless taken part in negotiations towards a resolution. The Strait of Hormuz runs between both countries and it therefore has a personal interest in progress.
But Trump, growing increasingly frustrated with deadlocked talks after a 60-day interim deal expired on Monday, lashed out at the US ally on Monday warning: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them.” Tehran says it has reached an agreement with Oman over a plan for ships to transit the Strait and that they are now working to finalise details for a joint statement. Relations between the two countries can be traced back to 1833 with the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. Informal trade began even earlier, with American businesses using Omani ports as early as 1790.
Oman was the first Arab nation to recognise the United States after it declared independence in 1776, sending an envy to New York in 1840. Since then they have enjoyed a collaborative political and trade relationship, which was strengthened by the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights in 1958, the bilateral Free Trade Agreement in 2006 and the 2016 US-Oman Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement. The free trade agreement in particular makes Oman one of only 20 countries with such a deal in place with the superpower, giving it access to reduced tariffs and easier exporting to the US leading to a doubling in trade by 2022.
The US is the leading buyer of non-oil exports from Oman. The Sultanate is a small country that prides itself on an understated diplomacy, drawing a likeness to Switzerland in Europe by maintaining a neutral position in a turbulent region. Muscat opted out of a boycott of Qatar between 2017 and 2021, which was undertaken by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Oman has no American military bases on its soil, although its ports are used by the US. However, it made an unusual decision to publicly criticise US strikes on Iran earlier this year, with Omani foreign minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi accusing the US of following Israel’s lead on the decision contrary to its own interests. Albusaidi said Israel “explicitly seeks the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and probably cares little about how the country is governed.” Despite Muscat’s close relationship with the US, it also holds a strong relationship with Iran with which it shares the Gulf of Oman.
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