Trump urges Iran to surrender and threatens Oman over Strait of Hormuz amid expired cease-fire deal

President Donald Trump said on Fox News that Iran should "put up the white flag of surrender" in the ongoing U.S.–Israel conflict and noted that his administration had opened a direct backchannel with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He added that he was not in a hurry to end the war, stating, "I have no time schedule. I'm not in a hurry."

During the interview, Trump also warned that the United States would bomb Oman if the ally interfered with a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil-shipping lane that Iran has blockaded, saying, "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s*** out of them."

Iranian and Omani officials have been negotiating a new shipping arrangement for the strait. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the proposed mechanism would protect the sovereign rights of both littoral states while ensuring safe commercial passage. He accused the United States and Israel of trying to undermine the talks and argued that the expired 60-day memorandum of understanding was voided by earlier U.S. violations, so no formal negotiations had begun.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had not yet decided to restart talks with the United States. Meanwhile, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, Bryan Clark, described the current rhetoric as "maximalist" claims with little practical backing, noting that the United States lacks a clear military path to force open the strait without significant risk.

The standoff continues as both sides exchange assertions, with no indication that the expired memorandum will be renewed.