Trump threatens to bomb ally if it ‘gets in the way’ of ending war
US President Donald Trump has threatened to “bomb the s—” out of an ally if it interferes with his country’s efforts in the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: Fox News
US President Donald Trump has threatened to “bomb the s—” out of ally Oman if it gets in the way of striking a deal with Iran.
Oman has been in talks with Iran for weeks over future arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, which is a major flashpoint of the war.
When asked about Oman’s role in the negotiations, Trump told Fox News journalist Trey Yingst he was prepared to attack.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s— out of them,” Trump reportedly said.
But Trump also said he was “not in a hurry” and had “no time schedule” for striking a deal, Fox News reports.
You might like
Earlier on Friday (US time), Trump told a rally he would declare the Strait of Hormuz a “territory of the United States” after “defeating Iran”.
Signed on June 17, the memorandum of understanding set out a 60-day timeframe, extendable by mutual consent, to reach an agreement on broader issues such as the fate of Iran’s nuclear program.
However, the memorandum, which declared the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations, quickly unravelled due to the dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Stay informed, daily
Progress towards peace talks and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic strait has ground to a halt.
Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to “fully offensive” due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the US, a senior Iranian official has told Reuters.
“Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions,” the official said.
The official said the country’s forces would conduct a “timely and precise” military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.
Iran said point five of the memorandum gave it the right to manage the waterway. The US rejects that interpretation.
Hostilities resumed as Iran began firing on vessels it said were trying to sail through the waterway on an unapproved route. On July 7, Trump said the pact was “over”.
Iran has repeatedly accused the US of consistently violating its commitments.
“Within the short period of a few weeks set by Iran, all the agreement’s provisions must be implemented by the US. This is a precondition for further negotiations with the US,” the Iranian official told Reuters, adding that mediators would share Iran’s deadline with the US and regional states.
Both Iran and the United States have stepped up rhetoric over the past week.
Earlier on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon,” repeating one of his stated rationales for the war.
-with AAP
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
