Donald Trump has threatened to blow up one of the US's oldest allies in the Middle East in a shocking aside at a cabinet meeting overshadowed by the Iran war. The Strait of Hormuz has been closed for nearly 90 days, causing a major spike in global energy prices, affecting Trump's domestic ratings as Americans see the cost of petrol spiral at the pumps.
Trump's Off-the-Cuff Remark
'Would you accept a short-term deal that allows Iran and Oman to control the strait?' a reporter asked the President at a cabinet meeting in Washington on Thursday. 'Oman will behave just like everyone else, or we'll have to blow them up,' the president warned, adding, 'Nobody's going to control it.' After issuing the threat to Oman, Trump doubled down: 'They understand that. They'll be fine.'
Diplomatic Fallout
In the Middle East, people thought Trump might have misspoken and said 'Oman' instead of 'Iran', but the US State Department later shared the comment on social media, with a transcript of the quote that referred to the Arab country. Oman, which is known for its neutrality, has not said it wants to join Iran in controlling Hormuz. The US and Oman are close allies with a relationship that stretches more than 200 years. Oman even acted as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran as they sought a resolution to the war that began in February.
But on the eve of the US-Israeli attack, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi made a desperate public plea to ask for more time. In March, he penned an article warning that 'America has lost control of its own foreign policy'. In a social media post in March, Albusaidi went against Trump's justification for the war, adding 'Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making'.
Midterm Concerns
Back in Washington, despite his denials, the President seemed to be slightly worried about the upcoming midterms that could make or break the rest of his presidency, floundering largely due to the unpopular war. 'I don't care about the midterms,' he declared, after a long summary of his own achievements. 'They thought they were going to out-wait me. You know: "we'll out-wait him. He's got the midterms." 'I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms.'
'People understand that they know that very simple — Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I'm doing that for the world,' he said.
Impact on UK Households
Trump's comments came as it was revealed UK households will have to spend more on bills this summer when the energy price cap rises driven by the impact of the war. Ofgem, Britain's energy watchdog, announced the price cap will rise by 13% from July. For consumers, this will mean a rise of around £18 a month for an average household using electricity and gas.
