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Iran live updates: Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. and Iran are yet to agree a deal over the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.
Key Headlines
Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump threatened the Sultanate of Oman -- a longtime U.S. strategic partner and traditionally a key interlocutor in Middle Eastern negotiations -- on Monday, saying he will "bomb the s---" out of the country if it "gets in the way" of U.S. objectives in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also noted that there was no hurry on his part to conclude the war with Iran as the 60-day U.S.-Iranian memorandum of understanding expires.
In an interview with Fox News' Trey Yingst, Trump was asked about the status of talks between Iran and Oman over a potential deal regarding the Strait of Hormuz. "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them," the president replied, according to Fox News' write-up.
A spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Monday that talks between the two countries were "continuing in earnest."
Trump's latest comments mark the second time Trump has threatened Oman over control of the Strait. In May, Trump told ABC News' Rachel Scott during a cabinet meeting that the Strait must not come under any nation's control and that he would take military action against Oman if necessary.
Trump also told Fox News that the U.S. was directly backchanneling with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "They're good poker players, but they're dying," Trump said of the IRGC. "I have no time schedule. I'm not in a hurry," he added.
Trump again dismissed concerns over U.S. munitions stockpiles. "What we've used so far is peanuts," Trump told Fox News.
-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Justin Gomez
Kushner-Netanyahu meeting underway, sources say
Two sources told ABC News on Monday that the planned meeting between President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was underway in Jerusalem.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Trump says 'number one Goal' is preventing Iranian nuclear weapon
President Donald Trump said in a post to social media on Monday that his "number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon."
MoU 60-day deadline 'irrelevant,' Iranian diplomat says
With the 60-day window for U.S.-Iran talks nearing its end -- as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two combatants in June -- the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the deadline is now "irrelevant" because the talks never began.
Esmaeil Baqaei said that under the MoU, the 60-day period was intended to give the two sides time to discuss "the nuclear issue" and "the lifting of sanctions," according to a readout published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Baqaei said the 60-day window could be extended if the parties failed to reach an agreement within that timeframe.
However, Baqaei accused the U.S. of violating the terms of the MoU and thus preventing the start of talks. Therefore, he said, "the 60-day discussion is no longer relevant."
On Iran-Oman talks over the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Baqaei said the two countries had agreed on a "navigation map," but that the text of the final agreement is still being finalized.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian