Kuala Lampur, Aug. 18 -- The latest American tirade against Oman is strategically uncalled for.

More seriously, it risks attacking one of the few diplomatic bridges still standing between Washington and Tehran at precisely the moment when the Strait of Hormuz desperately needs diplomacy rather than another layer of coercion.

On August 17, US President Donald Trump threatened Oman during an interview with Fox News if Muscat were to obstruct American objectives over the Strait of Hormuz.

The threat came as the 60-day negotiating period established under the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding expired without a comprehensive settlement. The anger is strategically misplaced.

Oman is not the principal source of the crisis in the Strait of ...