Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump has widened his public pressure beyond Iran to Oman, the Gulf sultanate across the Strait of Hormuz that has been holding talks with Tehran on shipping through the waterway. Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst this week that the US would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way”, using an expletive for emphasis. Oman has not commented.
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The threat comes as Oman, which has kept a relatively low profile since the Iran war began and has also acted as a mediator, finds itself in the middle of the Washington-Tehran standoff. Two regional officials said on Tuesday that Trump is unhappy that Oman is close to a deal with Iran over management of the strait.
Trump had promised a quick war, a weakened Iran and a better deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Instead, Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz into a new point of pressure in talks, asserting control over what had earlier been seen as an international waterway. US-Iran negotiations have dried up, and the 60-day period that began with the interim agreement between Washington and Tehran ended this week with no sign of an extension. Trump now says there are no planned talks with Iran.
At present, the only confirmed talks are between Iran and Oman on shipping through the strait. The discussions have been under way for weeks, though Oman has said little publicly. Tehran has said the two sides are finalising a joint statement, and there is widespread thinking that Iran is in no hurry. Regional officials have said the emerging deal would have ships enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and leave through a route controlled by Oman, though any deal appears to depend on the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.
Oman, a country of just over 5 million people, has remained one of the quieter players in the Gulf. It has allowed the US military to use its facilities, though Washington has described those defence ties as smaller in scale than with neighbours such as the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, Oman’s leaders have preferred engagement with Iran. The sultanate has been involved in mediation efforts, though that role is now being driven by Qatar and Pakistan.
Attention shifted more sharply to Oman after the interim agreement was signed, but the calm did not last. Iran later began firing at ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz near the Oman coast on a route backed by the US. Iran has described its talks with Oman as an effort to “develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states, as well as Iran’s security and national interests”. The mechanisms being discussed could include fees.
Earlier this month, Oman said the talks were “proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere”, while in the same statement condemning repeated attacks on ships transiting the strait. After a meeting on Tuesday between Oman’s foreign minister and his Egyptian counterpart, Egypt said the Iranian-Omani deal could help the US and Tehran return to negotiations for a “comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability”.
It remains unclear what effect Trump’s threat will have on Oman’s talks with Iran or whether it will speed up any final deal. For now, Oman remains caught between the two sides as traffic through the strait stays reduced and ships continue to face the risk of attack.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
