In a statement released on Thursday night, Baqaei denounced the threat by the US treasury secretary to impose sanctions on Oman, following an earlier threat to “blow up” the country, saying such behavior reflects the moral bankruptcy of the system of governance and policymaking in the United States.
The spokesperson stressed that threatening to impose sanctions on Oman under a baseless pretext is “absolutely illegal” and contrary to the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.
Baqaei further noted that the international community must respond responsibly to such approaches in order to prevent the growing normalization of violations of international legal norms.
His comments came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Thursday that the US would “aggressively” impose sanctions on Oman if it helps Iran establish a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz.
Bessent said Washington will “not tolerate” either country imposing fees on commercial ships in the strategic waterway.
The statement came less than 24 hours after US President Donald Trump threatened Oman with military force if it gets involved in the dispute over shipping access to the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s threat on Wednesday to “blow up” Oman came as Muscat reportedly held talks with Iran about overseeing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that handles more than 20 percent of the world’s global oil traffic.
As a natural waterway that is the only route for the Persian Gulf oil producers to ship exports to the open ocean, the strait has served as a free international maritime route for decades. Following the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran on February 28, however, Tehran closed the waterway and began to assert sovereignty over it.