Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf state 'gets in the way' over the Iran standoff, according to the BBC.

In the same interview, cited by the BBC, Trump told Fox News the US has a direct backchannel with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — a claim the Guard denies.

France 24 has included the threat in its rolling coverage of the US-Iran standoff.

Why it matters: Oman is the discreet channel both Washington and Tehran rely on to talk without talking. A strike threat against it, paired with Trump's own claim of direct IRGC contact, raises the risk of a wider Gulf confrontation — and could spook the one mediator both sides still trust.

Hypothesis: naming Oman as a target could deter Muscat from continuing to host indirect US-Iran contacts, narrowing the main diplomatic off-ramp. Supporting this: Trump's own acknowledgment of a backchannel involving the IRGC, an arrangement the Guard denies exists, points to an already fragile line of communication. Against this: Trump has issued rhetorical threats toward other states before without follow-through, and no US military movement toward Oman has been reported.

What is unconfirmed: why Trump named Oman specifically, what conduct would count as 'getting in the way,' and whether Muscat or Tehran will respond publicly.