"They will have to be sprayed" : Donald Trump sows trouble by threatening Oman, its ally in the war against Iran

Donald Trump caused astonishment on Wednesday May 27 by threatening to “pulverize” Oman, a traditional ally of the United States, during a council of ministers at the White House. Asked about the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global energy trade, the American president rejected the idea of ​​joint control by Oman and Iran, affirming that these waters would remain “international” and “open to everyone”.

“Oman will behave like the others or they will have to be pulverized. They know it,” he said, in a statement immediately relayed on X by the State Department. The White House did not immediately clarify whether Donald Trump was really talking about the sultanate, Washington’s partner and regular mediator with Tehran, or if he actually wanted to target Iran.

Another confusion in the same meeting

The doubt was reinforced by another confusion that occurred during the same intervention. Referring to the American economy, Donald Trump spoke of the “conflict with Venezuela”, before describing a country deprived of a navy and an air force. A formula he usually uses about Iran. This sequence comes as discussions between Washington and Tehran on the Strait of Hormuz remain tense and no final agreement has been confirmed.

The embarrassment is all the greater as Oman occupies a unique place in regional diplomacy. The sultanate maintains good relations with the United States while often serving as a discreet intermediary between Washington and Tehran. A public threat against Muscat, even unintentional, therefore risks fueling uncertainty in a region already under great pressure.

Confusing countries, a habit for Donald Trump

This is not the first time that Donald Trump has made a mistake in country names. In 2025, he had repeatedly confused Armenia with Albania by congratulating himself on having contributed to an agreement between “Albania and Azerbaijan”. The blunder was noted as far away as Europe, where several leaders were amused by it.

In January 2026, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, he also seemed to confuse Greenland with Iceland, while he spoke of his ambitions concerning the autonomous Danish territory. According to several media, he had repeated “Iceland” several times when the context indicated that he was talking about Greenland.

These repeated errors fuel criticism from his opponents and rumors about his state of health. According to a Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll, carried out in April, only 40% of Americans now believe that Donald Trump has the mental acuity necessary to exercise the presidency, compared to 47% a few months earlier.