Why is Trump threatening to bomb Oman, the Iran mediator trying to clear Hormuz?

Domestic political heat and unhappiness over the sultanate’s negotiations with Tehran are behind the US president’s outburst

The world knows that US President Donald Trump is angry with Iran. But he is not happy with the small country lying across the Strait of Hormuz from the Islamic Republic, either: Oman.

Oman has played a relatively low profile role since the Iran war began, including as a mediator. But its geography has thrust the sultanate into the uncomfortable position of negotiating with Tehran over management of the strait while facing Trump’s threats.

Trump this week told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the US would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way”, using an expletive for emphasis. It is not the first such threat he has made. Oman’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to emailed questions about Trump’s threat and when Oman and Iran might issue a joint statement on their deal.

Here’s a look at the country in the middle of the Washington-Tehran tug of war.

Trump threatened Oman because he was not happy that it was close to a deal with Iran over the strait, two regional officials said on Tuesday.

Trump is under pressure. He vowed a quick war and a weakened Iran, along with a better deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Instead, Iran has seized on the Strait of Hormuz as a new weapon in talks, asserting control of what had been seen as an international waterway before the war.