US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday that the US would bomb Oman if it "obstructs" a peace agreement with Iran. This is not the first time Trump has threatened Oman. As a US ally, Oman has never been in direct conflict with the US and has remained neutral throughout the Iran war. Parts of the Strait of Hormuz are within Oman's territorial waters, yet Oman has been repeatedly attacked by Iran, which has retaliated against US military strikes by attacking US military assets and infrastructure in the region. Now, Oman faces another military threat from the US. Analysts say that the potential agreement between Iran and Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz may contradict a core US demand: that Iran relinquish control of the strait in exchange for ending the war. Such an agreement would not weaken Iran's control but would instead grant it greater legitimacy by formally establishing Iran's status. However, experts suggest that Trump may also be angered by the apparent exclusion of the US from any agreements related to the strait. Larra al-Khalili, a professor of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter, stated, "Part of the reason is that if a solution can be reached without US intervention and effectively allow Oman and Iran to manage passage through the Strait of Hormuz, it would expose US incompetence, and has always been so." Furthermore, the US and Iran have serious disagreements over whether Iran should be allowed to charge shipping companies using the strait. Under international law, even natural waterways that are not technically international waters, such as the Strait of Hormuz, are not permitted to charge passage fees. However, fees can be charged for services such as insurance, environmental protection, and berthing. Whether the agreement between Iran and Oman will address this issue remains unknown.
