US Tightens Noose on Iran, Warns Oman Over Strait of Hormuz

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday announced a sweeping set of measures targeting Iran, including the shutdown of both Iranian airlines' access to landing spots, refueling, and ticket sales, while simultaneously firing a pointed warning at Oman over its reported involvement in plans to establish a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz.

Painting a dire picture of Iran's domestic situation, Bessent declared on X that "Iranian troops are not getting paid, the police are not reporting for work, and Kharg Island is shut down," adding that "the Iranian economy and currency are in free fall."

"Only a satisfactory outcome in negotiations will end the downward spiral,” he added.

The Treasury Secretary reserved particularly sharp language for Oman, a nation long regarded as a reliable American partner in the region and one that had previously helped facilitate direct talks between Washington and Tehran.

Bessent warned that the US Treasury would "aggressively target any actors involved, directly or indirectly, in facilitating tolls for the Strait," and that "any willing partners will be penalized."

Will Fresh Sanctions Force Iran to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

He urged all nations to "reject outright any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce," concluding that "Tehran's days of terrorizing the region and the world are over."

The announcements came a day after the Trump administration imposed fresh sanctions on Iran's newly created agency attempting to assert control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas ordinarily flows.

That action, first reported by the Associated Press, forms part of a broader campaign combining economic pressure with military action, aimed at forcing Iran's leadership into an agreement to end the ongoing conflict and reopen the strait.

President Donald Trump weighed in Thursday, dismissing Iranian state television reports that Tehran and Oman were discussing a framework for jointly overseeing shipping traffic through the strait.

"Nobody's going to control it," Trump said. "It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up."

The remarks drew widespread astonishment given Oman's traditionally cordial relationship with the United States.

Trump has maintained that a deal with Iran is imminent, though negotiations remain ongoing. The pressure to conclude an agreement is mounting, with surging energy prices and broader economic disruption stemming from Iran's effective closure of the strait weighing heavily on the administration and fellow Republicans ahead of the midterm congressional elections.