US president calls on US ally to ‘behave … or else we’ll have to blow them up’ in casual aside during cabinet meeting
Donald Trump has threatened to “blow up” Oman if it fails to “behave” in a casual aside during a cabinet meeting, as the US scrambles to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
The US president made the threat after reports of talks between Iran and Oman about jointly charging a toll for ships passing through the crucial waterway, which has been all but closed since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.
“The strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump declared on Tuesday. “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.”
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In an extraordinary threat, he added: “Oman will behave just like everybody else. Or else we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.”
The White House did not immediately clarify whether Trump had misspoken, and Oman’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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A view of streets as daily life continues amid fragile ceasefire in Tehran, Iran on May 12, 2026, as geopolitical tensions rise following recent statements from the United States. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]
Iran has restored international internet access following months of restrictions imposed after nationwide protests in January and later intensified during the war with the US and Israel, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.
Tasnim reported that the process of lifting restrictions had begun following an order by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to return internet access to conditions that existed before January 2026.
According to the report, users once again have access to international websites, while fixed broadband services, including FTTH, VDSL and ADSL, as well as mobile internet services, are now available without restrictions.
Iran had imposed a near-total internet shutdown during protests on Jan. 8 and 9, severely disrupting both domestic and international connectivity across the country.
Nationwide protests erupted in late December and escalated in January following a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial against US dollar amid mounting economic pressure.
Authorities imposed broad internet restrictions and temporary nationwide shutdowns during the unrest in an effort to curb communications and the spread of protest-related content.
In the weeks that followed, internet services gradually began returning before restrictions intensified again after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
During the conflict, domestic internet services and local platforms were later restored, but access to the global internet largely remained dependent on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
Major global platforms including YouTube and X remain blocked in Iran, with many users continuing to rely on VPN services to access them.
Iranian officials said 3,117 people were killed in the protests, while some human rights organizations estimated the death toll at up to 7,000.
Iranian authorities have acknowledged public discontent but accused the US and Israel of attempting to exploit the unrest through sanctions and pressure aimed at inciting instability and justifying foreign interference and regime change.
Experts had previously described the measures not as a complete shutdown of all internet infrastructure, but as restrictions specifically targeting access to the global internet, while domestic services, including banking systems and local platforms, remained operational.
The restrictions significantly affected businesses, online commerce and communication with the outside world, while access to international platforms became increasingly limited and unstable for ordinary users.
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Green Party MP Adrian Ramsay has called for a dedicated Climate Protection Unit in Number 10 in response to the latest report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) which warns our way of life is under threat from heat, flooding and drought. The report, ‘A Well-Adapted UK’, sets out a package of recommendations on adapting to the growing impacts of climate change on life in the UK.
Adrian Ramsay said:
“The most fundamental duty of any government is to keep the public safe, and yet today’s CCC report shows we are sleepwalking towards catastrophe and the government is failing to meet the moment.
“The impacts of the climate and nature emergency are already being felt by communities across the UK, with increased food prices, more severe flooding and dangerous heatwaves. From our food and water supply to daily essential services, continued inaction is putting us all at risk. By 2050, the CCC’s report warns that up to 92% of homes could face overheating, peak river flows could rise by up to 45%, and water supply shortfalls could exceed 5 billion litres a day. Our children will not forgive us if the government and Parliament fail to take these fundamental risks seriously due to being distracted by current political dramas.
“That is why today I am calling on the Prime Minister to establish a dedicated Climate Protection Unit in Number 10, with the sole purpose of working cross-department to drive forward the recommendations in this report.
“Because this report must mark a turning point. The Government must take concrete steps now to protect people’s lives and ensure our country is properly prepared for the growing risks posed by extreme heat, flooding and food shortages.
“That means investing in flood defences and nature-based solutions, preparing for extreme heat with a big focus on adapting our homes and workplaces, providing tangible support for farmers to ensure farming remains viable, and urgently adapting our infrastructure to prevent snowballing disruption across every facet of daily life.
“If ministers fail to take real action and deliver before the next general election, they will knowingly be putting lives at risk. The Government has been handed a plan. It is now vital they deliver it.”
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US President Donald Trump holds a press conference at the White House in Washington, DC on April 25, 2026.[Celal Güneş – Anadolu Agency]
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the US opposes any tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and vowed that Iran will not be allowed to retain highly enriched uranium, Anadolu reports.
“We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway. They’re not charging tolls right now,” Trump told the reporters at the White House.
Trump claimed Iran is suffering major financial losses because of restrictions on shipping activity.
Asked whether Iran could retain its stockpile of highly enriched uranium under any future arrangement, Trump answered bluntly.
“No, we get the highly enriched; we will get it,” Trump said. “We don’t need it. We don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”
Trump reiterated that the US will not let Iran have a nuclear weapon.
“Right now, we’re negotiating, and we’ll see, but we’re going to get it one way or the other. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Trump said the US is monitoring reported negotiations between Iran and Oman over possible tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, while asserting that US forces maintain complete control over maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
Asked whether it would be acceptable for Iran to negotiate with Oman on formalizing toll charges for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said: “Well, we’re looking at it; we hear about it.”
Trump went on to claim that the US has enforced an effective blockade in the region.
“We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz, as you know, with our blockade,” Trump said. “The blockade has been 100% effective. Nobody’s been able to get through. It’s like a steel wall.”
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.
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