• Threat to Oman: President Donald Trump warned of an attack on Oman if it “gets in the way” of efforts in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump previously threatened the US ally in May.
• Iran agreement expires: The 60-day deadline for the two sides to reach a deal toward ending the conflict has now passed. Trump again said he is in no rush and claimed his administration has established a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the IRGC denies.
• Main priority: The president reiterated that the top goal in the war is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, undercutting advisers who say keeping oil prices low is an important priority.
• Gaza ceasefire plan: Meanwhile, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today for more than four hours. Kushner pressed Netanyahu to move forward with the Trump-backed Gaza ceasefire plan and not “create obstacles,” according to an Israeli source.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Oman if it interferes with his country’s efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict with Iran continues and a two-month window for peace talks expires without a clear path to end the war.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Trey Yingst that was published today.
Here’s what else is going on in the Middle East:
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for more than four hours today, pressing him to move forward with the Trump-backed Gaza ceasefire plan and “not create obstacles,” an Israeli source familiar with the discussions said.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have said they attacked what they described as a Saudi military ship and four escort vessels in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles, following a weekend of escalation in the region.
Oil prices are rising modestly today, after the 60-day window for US-Iran peace talks closed without any lasting deal to end the war. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed 0.38% to $88.85 a barrel.
Talks between Iran and Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz are complex but continuing “in all seriousness,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said. He pointed to several “actors trying to exert influence on this process” as a reason for the delay in a deal.
Iran’s army is offering a 5 billion tomans ($30,000) cash bounty for anyone who kills or captures a US soldier and hands them over to authorities, according to the country’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
Inflation rates in Iran have reached “alarming levels,” with many working-class families in the country unable to afford basic food items, according to state-affiliated Iranian media.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Tal Shalev, Billy Stockwell, Mostafa Salem, Hanna Ziady, Aida Karimi and Laura Sharman contributed to this reporting.
CNN