From a 230-year-old ally to a bombing target: How Trump is trying to wreck the US-Omani relationship

NewsWorldMiddle Eastin focusFrom a 230-year-old ally to a bombing target: How Trump is trying to wreck the US-Omani relationshipOman was the first Gulf nation to recognise the United States. Now experts tell Maira Butt that Trump’s threats have put its relationship with the country under strainTuesday 18 August 2026 16:03 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b3034736","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-oman-strait-of-hormuz-iran-war-b3034736.html","title":"How Trump is trying to wreck a 230-year-old alliance with Oman"},"popoverPlacementOverride":"bottom"}CloseTrump casts doubt on Iran deal, says Tehran ‘cannot have a nuclear weapon’On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"pianoFieldName":"receiveOnTheGround","regTitle":"On The Ground","subscriptionGroup":"on_the_ground","subscriptionGroupId":"14806361-6435-4d19-b06e-05326605fb01","pathPrefix":["/news/world/europe","/news/world/middle-east","/news/world/australasia","/news/world/africa","/asia"],"associatedAuthors":["Bel Trew","Sam Kiley"],"title":"On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents","mobileTitle":"Get a weekly international news dispatch","lengthenedMobileTitle":"Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/onTheGround1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveOnTheGround","regSourceSection":"Middl...