Trump demands Iran should surrender, threatens to bomb Oman

US President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran surrender, as efforts to revive a diplomatic agreement between Washington and Tehran stalled and a 60-day negotiating window expired without a final deal.

“They should put up the white flag of surrender,” Trump told a Fox News reporter during a phone interview on Monday. 

The comments came as Trump confirmed that the United States maintains a backchannel for communication with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while insisting he was “not in a hurry” to bring the conflict to an end. 

60-day agreement collapses

The latest escalation follows the expiration of a memorandum of understanding reached in June, which had called for an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts.”

The arrangement also provided for Washington and Tehran to negotiate a broader agreement covering issues including Iran’s nuclear programme within 60 days, with the period extendable if both sides agreed.

That deadline expired on Monday without a final agreement. The interim arrangement had already begun to unravel, with Trump declaring it “over” in July and Iran subsequently saying it was “suspended.” 

Despite the breakdown, diplomatic channels have not completely disappeared.

Trump's confirmation of a direct backchannel with the IRGC suggests that communication between Washington and Iranian officials is continuing even as public rhetoric becomes increasingly confrontational. 

Trump threatens Oman over Strait of Hormuz

The US president also issued an extraordinary warning to Oman, which has been involved in negotiations with Iran over reopening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Fox News. 

The threat is particularly striking because Oman is a longstanding US partner and has played a mediating role in the Iran crisis.

Tehran and Muscat have been working towards arrangements aimed at restoring commercial navigation through the strategic waterway. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy corridors, carrying a substantial share of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

The prolonged disruption has already pushed up energy prices and increased concerns over the wider economic consequences of the conflict.

Nuclear weapons remain Trump’s central demand

Trump reiterated on Truth Social that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains his overriding objective.

“The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon,” he wrote.

The nuclear issue remains at the centre of Washington's justification for its campaign against Tehran, while Iran has continued to resist demands that it surrender its strategic leverage.

Midterm pressure

The confrontation is also unfolding less than three months before the November US midterm elections, when control of Congress will be contested.

The disruption of energy supplies and rising fuel costs have increased political pressure on the Trump administration, but the president rejected suggestions that the approaching elections are influencing his calculations.

“Midterms have nothing to do with my thinking,” Trump told Fox News. 

Oil markets are nevertheless watching the crisis closely. Brent crude was trading around $88.58 a barrel on Monday, with analysts warning that a significant escalation around Hormuz could trigger much sharper price movements. 

For now, the diplomatic clock has run out, the ceasefire framework has collapsed and Trump's language has hardened.

Iran is being asked to surrender, Oman is facing an extraordinary warning from Washington, and the Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of a confrontation capable of sending shockwaves through global energy markets.