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President Donald Trump’s threat to “blow up” Oman if the Gulf kingdom didn’t “behave” has exposed a rare rupture with one of Washington’s most valuable Middle East partners — a country that has spent decades quietly serving as America’s backchannel to Iran.

“The strait’s gotta be open to everybody,” the president said during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. “It’s international waters. Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have. They would like to control it; nobody’s going to control it. It’s international waters. And Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow ’em up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.” 

The remark came amid a dispute over the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The Trump administration has strongly opposed reported discussions involving Iran and Oman over a potential tolling system or joint management arrangement for the strait, arguing such a move would threaten freedom of navigation and give Tehran greater influence over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The comments reflected a broader dispute over how far Oman should go in its efforts to engage Iran as the two countries discuss proposals related to the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The Omani embassy and the White House could not be reached for comment on the underlying tensions or negotiations on the Strait of Hormuz.

Situated on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman occupies the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz and has long pursued a foreign policy distinct from many of its Gulf neighbors.

While maintaining close security ties with the U.S., Muscat also has preserved relations with Iran, allowing it to serve as one of the region’s key intermediaries. Oman helped facilitate secret U.S.–Iran talks that paved the way for nuclear negotiations, has repeatedly served as a diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran and has played a role in negotiations involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

“Oman’s role as the Switzerland of the Middle East has advanced U.S. interests,” April Alley, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital.

“They have facilitated numerous rounds of talks between U.S. and Iranians,” she said. “They were also able to broker a truce between the US and the Houthis in the Red Sea. Their neutrality allows them to be quiet facilitators when adversaries are ready to talk.”

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Morgan Phillips.