WASHINGTON—The White House for weeks promised that Iran was close to signing a nuclear deal and that Oman could be helpful in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The tiny Gulf nation suddenly found itself at the center of the effort to end the war.
The Gulf country that borders the Strait of Hormuz to the south is in talks with Iran to allow more commercial traffic in the waterway. But there is lingering concern within the administration that Oman could aid Iran in brokering a nuclear deal more favorable to Tehran, feeding Trump’s anger.
U.S. officials said the Oman picture was murky. U.S. officials said those negotiations were progressing and could relieve pressure on the global energy market and higher domestic gas prices.
“And I said, ‘Wait a minute: We have 39,000 soldiers over there, guarding you from Kim Jong Un, your next door neighbor, and you’re not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran? That’s strange.’” A debate has raged within the administration about how to handle Oman. Others say Oman’s longstanding ties to Iran are a boon to the mediation process. Those officials assert that Trump is scapegoating Oman as he seeks others to blame for struggling to complete a nuclear deal. “Instead of being totally open, the strait is mostly closed.
“Would you like to give us a little hand,” Trump said, recounting a conversation he said he had with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung before stressing that the U.S. didn’t actually need any help. “He said, ‘no thanks,’” Trump added. Some senior aides privately accuse Oman of being a duplicitous actor that largely sides with Iran instead of seeking the best possible deal between Washington and Tehran, officials said. There is also concern the Iran-Oman deal could solidify Tehran’s control over the strait, U.S. officials said, noting Trump prefers an agreement that fully reopens the passageway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and energy flowed before the war. Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle East issues at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Iran was pressuring Oman into the joint plan so it has the patina of a legitimate cross-strait project. “Trump’s threats only embolden the Iranians who sense further weakness,” said Cook. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who played a role in mediating U.S.-Iran talks before the war, repeatedly criticized the U.S. decision to launch the war, even appearing on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” to try to prevent the first wave of attacks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said that Iran’s tolling the Strait of Hormuz would be a red line for the Trump administration and set a dangerous precedent for other strategic international waterways around the world.
