Trump threatens to bomb Oman, says Hamas ‘giving up their guns’ under Gaza peace plan

Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

US President Donald Trump returns a salute as he walks from Marine One to his limousine upon his arrival at the Ellipse just outside of the White House, August 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)
US President Donald Trump returns a salute as he walks from Marine One to his limousine upon his arrival at the Ellipse just outside of the White House, August 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)

US President Donald Trump urges Iran to surrender while threatening to bomb Oman and claiming Hamas is “giving up their guns” under his Gaza peace plan, in a wide-ranging phone interview with Fox News.

Trump calls on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” while telling the network he has “no time schedule” for the conflict, saying, “I’m not in a hurry… the [US] midterm [elections] have nothing to do with my thinking.”

“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump says of Iran, indicating that the continued US naval blockade has added pressure on the regime, according to Fox News.

Regarding parallel talks between Iran and Oman to reach a deal on managing the Strait of Hormuz, Trump warns, “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”

The US president also confirms to Fox that Washington established a secret back-channel with officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, following an Axios report on the matter.

Asked about his top aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner’s meetings with Hamas and Israeli officials in the region this week, Trump indicates progress on Hamas disarming under his Gaza peace plan, and says that Israel should not be striking Gaza right now.

“We have our own relationship with Hamas. They are giving up their guns,” he says.

Most Popular
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.