If Oman obstructs talks between Washington and Tehran about the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, the United States "will bomb them to hell." Such a threat to the sultanate was made by U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News on Monday, August 17.
It is reported that at the moment Muscat is holding talks with Tehran on joint control of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which, before the start of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, deliveries of a fifth of the world’s oil shipments were made. However, so far no agreement has been reached in these consultations.
The deadline for negotiations between the United States and Iran has expired
On August 17, the 60-day period for negotiations between the United States and Iran provided for by the memorandum of understanding, which was signed by Donald Trump in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit, expired. It was expected that during that time Washington and Tehran would reach an agreement on matters such as sanctions against Iran, the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, and other issues.
In an interview with Fox News on August 17, Trump said that Iran should “raise the white flag and surrender,” and indicated that he did not intend to set a new deadline for negotiations.
Even before the deadline for negotiations between Iran and the United States set by the memorandum of understanding, hostilities between the parties resumed. In July, the Islamic Republic attacked a number of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States carried out a series of airstrikes on targets in Iran, saying their goal was to weaken Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also carried out a number of strikes on the territory of neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf, claiming that the targets were American military bases.
Turkey offers to mediate in peace talks on Iran
On August 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with Donald Trump and urged him to continue negotiations with Iran in order to de-escalate the situation in the region. At the same time, he offered Ankara as a mediator.
In a press release issued by the press service of the Turkish president, it was stated that other topics discussed by the two leaders included the war in the Gaza Strip, a defense pact signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, and bilateral relations between Turkey and the United States.