Trump warns Oman not to interfere in US-Iran talks

Washington (ANTARA) - President Donald Trump warned Oman on Wednesday, 27 May, not to interfere in fragile negotiations with Iran, claiming the US would ‘monitor’ the Strait of Hormuz.

When asked if he would accept a short-term deal allowing Iran and Oman to control the strategic waterway, Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting at the White House: ‘No, the Strait of Hormuz will be open to all parties.’

‘The Strait is international waters. No one will control it. We will monitor it. We will certainly monitor it, but no one will control it,’ Trump said. ‘This is part of the negotiations we are conducting.’

‘Oman must act like other countries, or we will have to destroy them,’ Trump warned.

The statement came after Iran’s state television reported that it had obtained an unofficial draft of a US-Iran agreement that would restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month, with Iran and Oman jointly managing traffic.

The framework also includes lifting US sanctions on Iranian ports and withdrawing US military forces from the region surrounding Iran.

The US has denied Iran’s report, calling it ‘pure fabrication’.