Beyond America: On the Arab states, their security needs

Donald Trump ’s threat to bomb Oman , a long-standing American ally in the Persian Gulf, reflects both his administration’s deepening frustration with the war against Iran and Washington’s declining influence in the region. This is the second time that the U.S. leader has threatened to attack Oman, which hosted talks between Washington and Tehran before he launched the war on February 28. When Mr. Trump backed down from a threatened escalation after 13 days of bombing on Iran in July, he said the U.S. and Iran were close to a deal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed by Iran after it was attacked. But Iran never said that it had agreed to a deal with the U.S. over the Strait and instead issued several demands, including releasing frozen funds and issuing sanctions relief, as preconditions for any agreement. Ever since, Oman, under U.S.