President Trump issued an unusually sharp warning to Oman during remarks at the White House, saying the Gulf nation must “behave just like everybody else” or the U.S. would “have to blow them up.”

The comment came as Trump discussed ongoing negotiations with Iran and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil-shipping routes. Trump said any deal with Tehran would require the strait to remain open and not be controlled by any country, calling it “international waters.”

The warning appears tied to reports that Iran has been pushing for a joint Iranian-Omani mechanism to manage ship passage through Hormuz, including possible fees for vessels moving through the waterway. Trump rejected that idea outright, saying the U.S. would “watch over it,” but that “nobody’s going to control it.”

Oman has long played a key diplomatic role as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, making Trump’s public threat especially striking. Reuters reported that neither the White House nor Oman’s embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment on the remark.