Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” over Iran issue, BBC reports

President Trump said the United States would bomb Oman if the country “gets in the way” of Washington’s handling of an unspecified Iran-related issue, according to a report by BBC World published Monday. The remarks were made as the White House and allied governments continue to grapple with tensions involving Iran’s regional activities and the security posture of Persian Gulf states.

The BBC report described Trump’s comments as conditional, tying the proposed action to whether Oman cooperates in a way he characterized as obstructive. The statement adds to a pattern of high-tempo public U.S. messaging around Iran, even as Oman has typically sought to maintain a role as a regional mediator and security partner.

In the same interview, the BBC said Trump told Fox News that the United States has a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The report said the claim conflicts with the U.S. government’s public position and that Washington denies having such a direct channel with the organization, according to the BBC account.

Public references to communications and deconfliction arrangements involving Iran and its armed components have often been handled through official channels and carefully stated diplomatic language, particularly when the U.S. has sanctions-related and legal restrictions tied to specific entities. The BBC report did not provide additional detail on what the president meant by a “backchannel,” including whether it involved intelligence, diplomacy, or military deconfliction.

The BBC story did not indicate any immediate operational timeline for the threatened action, nor did it specify the Iran issue at stake or what Oman would need to do to avoid triggering U.S. retaliation in the president’s framing. The lack of detail is significant for how regional governments would assess the statement’s credibility and practical implications for their ports, airspace, and security cooperation.

The remarks also raise questions about how U.S. policy is communicated to partners in the Gulf, where states rely on predictable boundaries to manage risk for shipping, energy infrastructure, and civilian travel. Oman’s geography and role in regional diplomacy can place it in the center of broader U.S. Iranian deterrence efforts, even when it is not a party to every dispute.

Under international law and longstanding U.S. practice, any use of force would typically require additional authorization and legal and operational steps beyond public statements by the president. For now, the BBC report presents the comments as political and diplomatic messaging rather than a published directive, but the public nature of the warning may still influence deliberations inside regional governments and any contingency planning for security and crisis response.