Fox News anchor John Roberts said he was shocked by remarks from President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting Q&A at the White House, where Trump warned that Oman would be “blow[n] up” if it didn’t “behave like everyone else.” Roberts called the comment unu
John Roberts didn’t sound like he was looking for words. He sounded like he was still trying to find his footing.
In a live on-air moment during President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting Q&A at the White House. the Fox News anchor pointed to Trump’s remarks about Oman and said he couldn’t quite get over what came next. “President Trump became the first American president that I know of to ever threaten to take military action against Oman. saying that they have to behave like everyone else or we’re going to blow them up. I’m not quite sure what that was all about. ” Roberts said as he transitioned coverage to Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy.
Roberts’ reaction landed on the same day the comments spread widely online. including his own post noting the unusual nature of the warning. While Oman is not described as a formal treaty partner. Roberts said Oman has long maintained peaceful relations with the United States and is a valued business partner. including oil facilities “predominantly oriented toward US oil companies.”.
The exchange started when Trump was asked about the possibility of a short-term deal that would allow Iran and Oman to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump pushed back on the idea. insisting the strait must remain open to everyone as “international waters.” “Nobody’s gonna control it. we’re gonna watch over it. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s gonna control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have. They would like to control it, nobody’s gonna control it. It’s international waters.”.
Then came the line that Roberts later described as astonishingly direct. Trump added, “And Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow ’em up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.”
Oman has long been viewed as a longtime U.S. ally—and that is part of what made the remarks shock regional observers. Oman has played a central diplomatic role during the Middle East conflict, serving as a conduit between Washington and Tehran while also facing threats from Iran itself.
The backdrop to Trump’s comments was tied to talks between Iran and Oman involving fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The New York Times later reported the discussions involved service fees rather than a direct toll proposal.
Iran and Oman were reportedly drafting a protocol to “monitor transit” through the strait. with Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs. Kazem Gharibabadi. saying tanker traffic through the route “should be supervised and coordinated” by the two countries. Officials from both nations, along with technical specialists, met to discuss restoring safe navigation through the waterway.
At the same time, the Trump administration dismissed reports of a joint-control arrangement as a “complete fabrication.”
The political friction didn’t stay inside government channels. Critics quickly condemned Trump’s language. with Raed Jarrar. advocacy director at the U.S.-based rights group DAWN. comparing the remarks to those of a “mafia boss.” Jarrar argued that “the UN Charter prohibits the threat of force against any state and that prohibition binds the United States exactly as it binds everyone else.”.
The moment, and Roberts’ reaction to it, underscored the tension between diplomatic efforts around the Strait of Hormuz and Trump’s sharpest warning—directed at Oman in words that Roberts said he had never heard from an American president before.
John Roberts Fox News Donald Trump Oman threat Cabinet meeting Q&A Strait of Hormuz Iran Oman talks Kazem Gharibabadi DAWN Raed Jarrar UN Charter international waters