Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman Over Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran Deadline Expires

President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Oman, threatening military action if the US ally interferes with American efforts to secure control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as a crucial 60-day deadline for US-Iran negotiations expires without resolution. In a phone interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on Monday, Trump declared: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s—- out of them” . The threat comes as tensions over the vital maritime waterway escalate and the June 17 Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran officially lapses .

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office later on Monday, the president was asked to elaborate on his earlier remarks and did not walk back the threat, instead saying: “I don’t think they behaved very well, but we’d handle them very easily, just like we do other things” . When questioned about his recent suggestion that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory, Trump responded: “We have total control over the strait” . This is not the first time Trump has targeted Oman with aggressive rhetoric, as CNN reports that the president previously threatened Oman at a meeting in May, saying “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow ’em up” . The White House has yet to issue an official comment on the latest threats against Oman, according to NBC News . Oman, a longstanding US ally that borders Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, has been engaged in separate negotiations with Iran over the status of the strategic waterway, and last Saturday, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency disclosed that Tehran had reached an agreement with Oman on a plan for traffic through the strait .

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Monday marked the end of a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17, 2026, under which both countries agreed to cease hostilities and negotiate an end to the war while addressing Iran’s nuclear programme. However, talks have stalled over the issue of control of the Strait of Hormuz, and neither side appears willing to extend the agreement. The impasse has had immediate consequences for global shipping, with maritime traffic tracker MarineTraffic reporting that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz nearly ground to a halt over the weekend, with just 13 ships passing through, including only three on Sunday. Meanwhile, international benchmark Brent crude oil broke above $90 per barrel, rising 2.7% to its highest level of the day, reflecting market anxiety over the potential disruption to one of the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoints, through which approximately 20% of global petroleum passes .

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, has dismissed the 60-day timeframe, stating that “gross” US violations rendered the deadline “entirely moot” and insisting that “there is no such thing as a 60-day deadline in the text of the memorandum of understanding, and the Islamic Republic of Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums, or time constraints” . He further explained that the memorandum merely provided a “60-day window for talks on two axes—sanctions relief and the nuclear issue—which could be extended if no result was reached” . However, due to what he described as “the blatant and widespread violation of the June 18 memorandum of understanding by the United States just a few weeks after its signing, no talks were initiated,” rendering the timeframe irrelevant . Baghaei also emphasised that Iran’s armed forces are “closely monitoring all movements with full vigilance” and that the country is prepared to respond if attacked, while Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed that messages are being exchanged through mediators but clarified that “this does not mean negotiations at all” .

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In a separate development, Trump has demanded that Tehran “put up the white flag of surrender” and stated that the United States is “in no hurry” to make a deal, despite a backchannel remaining open with Tehran . The president also floated the idea of declaring the Strait of Hormuz a US territory, telling reporters: “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States” , later adding: “I like the idea of declaring it a territory” . However, analysts have largely dismissed the declaration as a pressure tactic rather than a serious policy proposal, with Adel al-Ghurairi, an Iraqi political analyst and professor at Baghdad University, telling Xinhua that the statement “could put political pressure on Tehran, strengthen Washington’s position in talks, and send a message to countries concerned about energy security” . Similarly, Ahmed Al-Mufti, a Sudanese international relations expert, described it as “a negotiating tactic aimed at raising US demands before moving toward more realistic arrangements” .

With the MoU expired and both sides hardening their positions, the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical flashpoint, with Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman continuing diplomatic efforts to mediate, though the end of the agreement could determine whether the conflict moves toward renewed negotiations or another dangerous escalation. Analysts note that while the United States has strong naval, air, and intelligence capabilities in the region, maintaining permanent control over the waterway would face significant challenges, as Mustafa Ibrahim, a Palestinian political analyst, observed that “if Washington truly wants to end the confrontation, it must shift from coercion and maximum pressure to negotiations that address Iran’s security and political interests” . The real question, he added, is not whether Washington can project military power, but whether that power can deliver a political settlement that ensures the stability of one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.

Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman Over Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran Deadline Expires

UK PM Burnham Duped By Impersonator Of Top Trump Aide

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with an individual impersonating White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles before becoming suspicious—a major security lapse that prompted the UK embassy in Washington to raise the matter directly with the Trump administration .

Burnham, who took office on July 20, reportedly believed he was communicating with Wiles, one of US President Donald Trump‘s closest advisers and the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff. A person briefed on the matter told Politico that a “few messages” were exchanged before Burnham became suspicious, but insisted they were “of no significance.” Sources said the communication was through text messages only, with no telephone conversation taking place, and the suspicious activity was “quickly reported to the appropriate authorities” once concerns emerged.

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International relations expert Professor Anthony Glees of the University of Buckingham suggested the incident was most likely the work of a foreign intelligence service—pointing to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Russian, or Chinese intelligence as possible culprits. He noted that Wiles was among those targeted by an Iranian cyber espionage unit in 2024. Professor Glees also questioned why Burnham’s security team apparently failed to inform him that Wiles’ phone had been previously hacked, and that any messages purporting to come from her should have been treated with extreme caution. “My guess is that they would be about Burnham’s views on international affairs, particularly perhaps Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iran, and Putin’s war on Ukraine,” he said. The incident follows an FBI investigation into an attempted hack of Wiles’ personal phone in May 2025. At that time, Wiles told associates her phone had been compromised after an impersonator used her contacts file to message other top US officials. Recipients included US senators, governors, and top business executives. The impersonation was targeted at her personal phone, not her government phone. The FBI director said at the time: “The FBI takes all threats against the President, his staff, and our cybersecurity with the utmost seriousness.”

Burnham, who became prime minister on July 20, has been working to establish a positive relationship with Trump. The pair have held a formal phone call, during which Burnham set out his vision for the UK and discussed UK security matters, the Middle East situation, and the upcoming World Cup. However, in his first major interview as Prime Minister, Burnham stated he would be prepared to call out Trump where necessary to defend Britain’s national interest. A Downing Street spokesperson declined to comment on the security breach, stating: “We do not comment on national security matters.” The White House has also declined to comment publicly. The incident is not the first time a senior British politician has been targeted by an impersonator.

UK PM Burnham Duped By Impersonator Of Top Trump Aide

US Teen Charged With Killing Mother, Brother After ChatGPT Searches

A 17-year-old Massachusetts boy, Arjun Aravind, has been charged with murdering his mother and 14-year-old brother after prosecutors said he used ChatGPT to search for “theoretical ideas or fantasy stories” about killing his family.

The tragic incident occurred on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at the family’s home on Martha Lane in Acton, an affluent Boston suburb. Aravind, who is on summer break between his junior and senior years of high school, has been ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to two counts of murder. He was also charged with assault and battery for allegedly using “a dangerous weapon, a Laptop,” to attack the two victims, according to a criminal complaint filed in Concord.

According to a criminal complaint, Aravind used ChatGPT hours before the killings to develop fictional scenarios involving characters murdering their parents. One of the prompts he allegedly typed at 7:53 a.m. on the day of the killings read: “wait when Adrian kills parents I could see him luring one to convo in basement as they have always forced him to do but what excuse would he use to take their phone.” Another prompt reportedly asked: “maybe before killing mom Adrian coldly reveals.” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said the teenager had been demonstrating “concerning behavior” involving internet activity and ChatGPT searches related to violence against his family. She described the searches as resembling “Gothic novel kind of stories” – fictional scenarios that investigators believe related directly to threats against his family. “He was engaged in the use of ChatGPT in creating fantasy stories, kind of the gothic novel kind of stories, asking questions, creating characters, asking what about this if this happened to that, and they seem to appear to relate to threats to his family,” Ryan said.

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Police were called to the family home shortly after 6:30 p.m. after Aravind’s father, who was at work, requested a welfare check. The father became concerned when a tutor scheduled for a 4 p.m. appointment was unable to get inside and repeated calls to the family went unanswered. Officers who entered the home found Siddharth Aravind dead on the first floor with “massive trauma to the head” lying in a pool of blood. His mother, Sudha Venkatesan, 45, was found in the basement with “heavy trauma” to her head and face, along with a puncture wound to her stomach consistent with an object being used as a weapon. Prosecutors described “obvious signs of a physical and violent struggle” at the home, with both victims suffering blunt-force trauma. Investigators found a heavily damaged, bloodied laptop computer at the scene, which they believe was used during the attack. A bent utensil, possibly a knife with an orange handle, was also recovered. Prosecutors said it was “apparent that blunt force trauma was used on both individuals.”

Court documents indicate that Aravind had been experiencing “behavioral issues” and had been diagnosed with autism. His father had become so concerned about his son’s recent behavior and internet activity that the family had begun hiding knives in the house to prevent him from accessing them. His father also told police that Aravind was prohibited from having a cellphone “due to some prior behavior.” Authorities had previous contact with the family when Aravind was reported missing in 2025, though that incident was treated as a runaway case with no threats of violence. The family had recently moved to Acton partly because of its schools and support system for their children, according to Aravind’s lawyer.

After the killings, Aravind left the home in his mother’s 2014 green Honda Accord. Police located the vehicle at about 3:40 a.m. the following morning in a parking lot about 13 miles away in Wayland, Massachusetts. Aravind was found asleep inside the vehicle and was arrested without incident. Investigators found bedding, a laptop, a cellphone, his mother’s pocketbook, and large quantities of cereal and protein energy bars in the car. According to the complaint, a person whose name was redacted had purchased more than $2,000 worth of cereal and energy bars from a nearby supermarket at about 4 p.m. on the day of the killings, telling an employee the items were for resale. Aravind reportedly used a credit card believed to belong to his mother for the purchase. Aravind’s defense attorney, Debra DeWitt, told reporters that her client “did not even realize they were dead” when he left the house. She has requested a psychological evaluation for the teenager. DeWitt described the situation as tragic, saying the father “just wants help for his son.” Aravind is due back in court on September 11 for a probable cause hearing. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has not commented on the allegations. The charges against Aravind remain unproven in court.

US Teen Charged With Killing Mother, Brother After ChatGPT Searches