Trump's direct warning to Oman
US President Donald Trump made a statement on Monday that has created panic throughout the Middle East and the world. Trump has openly threatened Oman with bombing. He says that if Oman creates any obstacle in the blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, America will drop a massive bomb on it.
This statement is also surprising because Oman has traditionally been an old friendly country of America. However, at present Oman is very close to finalizing an agreement with Iran for the safe movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, America is trying to force Iran into a peace agreement by imposing tight maritime patrol and blockade on this important sea route. Due to the American blockade, the movement of Iranian ships has almost come to a standstill.
'The pressure is working on us, we are in no hurry'
In an explosive interview given to Fox News, Donald Trump boldly said that if “Oman creates obstacles in our path, we will attack them strongly”. Trump believes that this strict blockade is creating all-round pressure on Iran. Along with this, he also made it clear that he does not have any fixed time limit to resolve this entire dispute and America is in no hurry.
It is noteworthy that this war between America and Iran has been going on for almost six months, but there is no permanent solution in sight. Peace talks between the two countries have come to a complete standstill and violent clashes are taking place from time to time. Due to this tension, the supply of oil and other essential goods through international trade routes like the Strait of Hormuz has been badly affected.
America-Iran peace talks stuck
Talks between America and Iran have been in abeyance for a long time. About two months ago, a draft peace agreement (MoU) was agreed upon between the two countries through the mediation of Pakistan and Qatar. But after some time both the countries accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement and rejected this MoU.
Since then the attacks from both sides have intensified. America has targeted Iran's military bases near the strategic areas of Hormuz. In response, Iran has launched strong attacks on American military bases, merchant ships, petroleum depots and other important targets located in the Gulf countries.
Preparation for agreement between Iran and Oman
Amid US pressure, Iran and Oman are negotiating a temporary arrangement to streamline the movement of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran confirmed on Monday that it is continuing to work with Oman to finalize a joint statement detailing the proposed arrangement.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai, an agreement has been reached between the two countries regarding the route through which the ships will transit this waterway. He clarified that “a consensus has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.” Although Baghai did not share full details, previous rounds of talks indicate that the ships will enter through the route close to Iran and exit through the route along the border with Oman. Under this new system, no toll or fees will be collected from the ships.