Many were surprised last week when US President Donald Trump appeared to threaten Oman.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be open to everyone. It’s international waters. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it. Oman will behave like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that,” the US president said.
Oman? Why Oman? Some people thought that Trump had meant to say Iran and that he had been misunderstood. However, the US State Department posted the president’s comments, leaving little room for misunderstanding or for him to have misspoken. Trump is known for making many statements that are open to interpretation. He has threatened Iran throughout the last months of conflict, for instance. The US president has also often hinted that a deal with Tehran is close.
What has happened with Oman? Oman has historically been a friend of the US. However, many US partners and friends abroad have found themselves receiving the cold shoulder from the American administration in recent years. Whether it is NATO allies, Denmark, Ukraine, or Taiwan, many countries feel the US is moving away from historic partnerships. In recent days, America’s Gulf friends and allies have also been pressured to join the Abraham Accords. It is possible the US may be moving toward a critique of the Gulf as well.
Long history of Oman-US ties
Oman has a long history of ties with the US. In recent years, it has helped mediate talks with Iran. However, it felt that its role as mediator was being exploited in June 2025 and in February this year, as while it was mediating, war plans appeared to be afoot. As such, the mediation has now moved to Pakistan and Qatar. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country, brings more clout to the table. Qatar, a major non-NATO ally of the US, is also important.
Meanwhile, Oman has one of the lowest GPD per capita in the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is not an economic powerhouse like Saudi Arabia or the UAE. Muscat is not as wealthy in oil or other resources.
It does have a strategic place in the region, though, on the Gulf of Oman and near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the US State Department’s embassy in Oman, “The friendship between the United States and Oman dates back over two hundred years when the American ship, the Boston Rambler, sailed to the port of Muscat in 1790.” Formal ties date back to the 1830s. According to the embassy, “In 1840, the sultan’s envoy Ahmad bin Na’aman sailed to New York on the Sultanah, and bin Na’aman became the first Arab diplomat accredited to the US.” “The Sultanah was also the first Arab ship to sail to the United States. In 1880, the US established its first consulate in Muscat in order to strengthen political and economic ties with Oman,” it added.
In 1972, the US opened an embassy in Muscat (Oman’s capital). “Oman and the United States signed a military cooperation agreement in 1980, which was revised and renewed in 2010, continuing its close military partnership,” the embassy said. A free trade agreement followed in 2006. Oman has generally remained outside various tensions and conflicts in the region.
In recent years, its role as a neutral power has helped it host talks. For instance, in 2021, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi hosted then-US special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking in Muscat.
The goal was to help talks with the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. Oman continued its role as a mediator and host with Iran.
Oman also played a key role in the lead-up to the Abraham Accords. In 2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Oman to meet with Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said. When the sultan died in 2020, the Israeli prime minister praised him as an incredible leader. The Israeli visit to Oman led to several ministerial visits to Gulf countries. This helped move the UAE and Bahrain toward ties with Israel. Oman continued to encourage moderation in talks in Jordan. However, Oman appeared to shift away from Israel after 2020. The Abraham Accords, for example, did not expand to include Oman, even though it seemed like an ideal candidate to join.
THE ROLE Oman played in the US-Iran talks prior to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran has led to Muscat being concerned about the trajectory of conflict in the region. Albusaidi was open in his critique after Operation Roaring Lion was launched on February 28. “I am dismayed. Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,” he wrote on X/Twitter. “Neither the interests of the US nor the cause of global peace are well served by this... I urge the United States not to get sucked in further,” he continued. “This is not your war... I pray for the innocents who will suffer.” It appears Oman believes Israel pressured the US into war. Many Gulf countries are worried about Israel’s more aggressive policy in recent years, especially after airstrikes on Qatar in 2025.
Iran attacked many countries in the region after the February 28 strikes. The Islamic Republic also struck Oman, but only in a few limited incidents. Muscat likely hopes the current ceasefire will continue. This past week, Albusaidi hosted Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
Iran’s foreign minister has not responded to the recent comments by Trump. However, Abdullah Baabood, an academic specialist on international relations and the Gulf and Middle Eastern affairs, wrote on X about the remarks. “Threatening Oman – a peaceful, neutral, and longtime US partner – is a serious, strategic mistake,” he wrote. “Undermining one of the most reliable and trusted diplomatic bridges with Iran only weakens diplomacy and further damages American credibility in the Gulf,” Baabood continued.
The recent US push for countries to join the Abraham Accords and the language being used against Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan is raising eyebrows in the region. Many Gulf countries take language very seriously. They are modest and cautious in their tone. While they may expect US-European relations to be more abrasive and coarse, and they know the current US administration is known for being very direct in its dealings with Europe, Gulf countries tend to think the White House will be more polite concerning their region.
US partners and allies are on edge. They do not know which America they will wake up to every day. The new war in Iran has led many to consider a broken and Hobbesian world order.
They had already been hedging in global affairs since the Obama era, seeking closer ties with China, India, and other countries.
A sense that the US was leaving the Middle East or was not committed to historic relationships and was becoming more erratic and isolationist led many countries to increase defense spending and contemplate a post-American world order.
This may have also aided the Abraham Accords, as US allies seek to work together. Yet, countries like Oman becoming victims of rapidly changing policies was not something most Gulf countries expected.
Oman is a neutral and friendly state that has not done anything to anyone. With this in mind, concerns are likely growing in Riyadh, Cairo, Islamabad, and Doha.