Officials: Trump Unhappy With Oman Deal08/19 06:24

   U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he is unhappy 
the country is close to a deal with Iran to manage ship traffic through the 
Strait of Hormuz, two regional officials said on Tuesday, a day after Trump 
leveled the threat.

   CAIRO (AP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he 
is unhappy the country is close to a deal with Iran to manage ship traffic 
through the Strait of Hormuz, two regional officials said on Tuesday, a day 
after Trump leveled the threat.

   The officials said the Trump administration has told Oman it is opposed to 
parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani 
management of the exit route out of the passage that's critical to global 
supplies of oil and natural gas. The officials were briefed on the U.S. 
position and how the administration views Oman's position.

   Meanwhile, a projectile hit a ship as it sailed out of the strait, and a 
cargo vessel was rendered a "constructive total loss" by multiple projectiles 
off the coast of Yemen, according to the British military's maritime monitoring 
agency. The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said two ballistic 
missiles were launched from Iran toward the UAE.

   An Iranian official said the strait would not reopen until the United States 
meets Iran's conditions.

   US believes Oman has not been tough enough with Iran

   The U.S. believes Oman has not been tough enough in its negotiations with 
Iran and is unhappy with Oman's agreement to collect voluntary fees from 
vessels, even if the charges are related to security and maritime environmental 
protection, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity 
because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

   Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman as it works with Iran on a deal to 
open the strait and pave the way for the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations 
to end the war.

   He posted a map on social media on Tuesday depicting the strait as U.S. 
territory. The president first mentioned the idea in an offhand comment last 
week. On Monday, he told reporters in the Oval Office, "I like the idea of 
declaring it a territory," without providing details.

   The White House on Tuesday referred to Trump's remarks in the Oval Office 
and declined to comment further about Oman.

   Iran refers to Trump's 'delusion' about the strait

   Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to 
Trump's post on social media depicting the strait as American territory.

   "Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, his 
delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will soon either be corrected, or we 
will correct this deluded man's delusions for him," Gharibabadi wrote on X.

   Trump's comment on Monday was not the first time he has threatened Oman. In 
May, he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that Oman "will behave just 
like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up."

   Iran reiterated Tuesday that Tehran plans to maintain its grip on shipping 
traffic until Washington meets its conditions.

   "Until the United States fulfills its commitments under the agreement, 
including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, 
ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and implementing the 
other conditions to which it committed, the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen," 
said Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker and negotiator in 
previous talks with the U.S.

   The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Iranian-Omani deal could 
pave the way for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations for a 
"comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances 
regional security and stability."

   The statement came after a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr 
Abdelatty and Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi. But it did not address Trump's 
latest threat against Oman.

   Trump insists the strait is open as more attacks are reported

   Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. has no planned talks with Iran but insisted 
the strait is "open and operating," despite limited traffic, the reported boat 
strike and the end on Monday of the 60-day negotiating period between the 
countries.

   Trump wrote on social media that a U.S. blockade of the strait remains "in 
full force and effect," adding that all water mines have been removed.

   As the talks between Iran and Oman continue, more attacks were reported in 
the region.

   Both missiles fired at the UAE fell into the sea, the UAE Defense Ministry 
said. No damage or injuries were reported. Iran disputed the UAE's claim that 
it launched missiles toward the country.

   The ministry later said assessments showed that the missiles targeted 
maritime traffic. It was not clear whether they directly targeted UAE ships or 
the country's territorial waters.

   In the weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 
28, the UAE was frequently targeted by Iranian missiles and drones, but 
Tuesday's reported attack was the first in weeks.

   An unidentified projectile hit a ship early Tuesday in the strait off the 
coast of Oman, damaging the engine room and causing a casualty, according to 
the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center.

   The monitoring agency did not release any details about the ship or its 
cargo, and it was unclear whether the crew member was killed or wounded. The 
agency said the Omani Coast Guard was assisting other crew members and that 
authorities were investigating.

   Elsewhere, the cargo ship that was deemed a loss was struck about 40 
nautical miles (74 kilometers) southeast of Mokha, Yemen, the UKMTO center 
reported.

   The center did not identify the projectiles or those responsible.

   The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels resumed attacks on commercial shipping in the 
Red Sea in July and escalated attacks on Yemen's Saudi-backed government 
forces. The renewed assaults have threatened shipping through the Bab al-Mandab 
Strait, another key global trade route.

   In other developments, the Houthis claimed they fired drones at an oil 
refinery in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the latest attack that threatened to 
reignite Yemen's civil war and open another front in the Middle East.

   The attack targeted a facility run by Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's 
state-owned oil company, according to a report by the Houthi-run SABA news 
agency. There were no immediate reports of damage or comment from Saudi Arabia.