Here we go again. Trump’s idea of diplomacy is a sane person’s idea of bullying.
Donald Trump has threatened to “blow up” Oman if it fails to “behave” in a casual aside during a cabinet meeting, as the US scrambles to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
I had two students from Oman this past semester. One of the things I, a mere college professor, do is look up my students’ backgrounds to avoid saying something stupid and insensitive, like “we should blow up your home”. If only our president were a tenth as aware.
SHUT THE FUCK UP, DONNY.
Oh, come on! This is an overreaction. He’s only threatening to bomb this particular ally, not occupy it or make it his 51st state or continuously fuck with its exports.
I understood that reference.
Trump doesn’t do mild.
Oman? When has Oman done anything to even get America’s attention, let alone merit a threat of war?
Trump is nothing but a senile old idiot mindlessly reacting the way he’s always reacted when anyone gets in his way. He probably doesn’t even know where Oman is, and sure as hell doesn’t have anything like a decently-thought-out plan for getting anything done. (And all that is assuming he isn’t confusing Oman with some other country.)
Oman has been acting as a mediator between the US and Iran throughout the negotiations. So we know:
1) Trump definitely knows about Oman, which means –
2) This comment was even stupider and more destructive than it looks.
Oman is also in possession of the rocky peninsula that makes up the south side of the Strait of Hormuz (It looks like it should be part of the UAE, but it isn’t). If Iran wants to charge a toll to ships going through the Strait, they will have to persuade Oman to cooperate in order to make it work.
Iran wants to run the strait in conjunction with Oman. There’s approximately zero chance that Oman agrees to that; it prefers open trade through the strait to keep all its allies happy. But if its main ally decides to become an enemy… who knows.
Well, it’s been a pretty good friend to the USA, historically.
Oman signed the first U.S.-Gulf trade treaty in 1833.
In 1840, Oman sent the first Arab diplomat to New York.
In 1980, Oman became the first Gulf state to grant the U.S. military port and airfield access.
Trump’s diplomatic nous is quite evident.