Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned what it described as US threats to impose sanctions on Oman over its cooperation with Tehran regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks on Thursday after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued the warning, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

Baghaei described the rhetoric as “an attempt to blackmail an independent UN member state and yet another sign of the moral bankruptcy of the American system of governance and policymaking.”

He said threatening sanctions on Oman “under a baseless pretext” was “an absolutely unlawful act” and contrary to the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

The spokesman added that the international community must respond responsibly to such conduct in order to prevent what he described as the growing normalisation of violations of international legal norms.

His comments follow reported remarks by US President Donald Trump, in which he said he would “blow up” Oman if it agreed to work with Iran on sharing control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Reacting earlier to those remarks, Baghaei expressed solidarity with Oman, describing it as a “friendly and brotherly country” that has “always played a constructive, effective, and responsible role in regional peace and security, spent many years as a mediator in diplomatic processes, and made endeavours to serve regional peace and stability.”

He said such threats violated “the principle on the prohibition of threat or use of force” and were “another dangerous sign of the normalisation of lawlessness and bullying in international relations.”

Iran and Oman are currently negotiating a new framework for maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Commenting on the talks on Wednesday, Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said passage through the strategic waterway would no longer follow previous arrangements.

News.Az