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U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened, left open the possibility of attacking, or actually attacked at least 15 countries during his two terms in office, roughly one out of every 13 countries in the world, according to a CNN report.
Trump added Oman to the list on Wednesday when he warned that the country could face U.S. military action if it tries to control the Strait of Hormuz along with Iran.
“Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow ‘em up,” Trump said during a White House Cabinet meeting.
CNN said the remark appeared to be made casually rather than as part of a formal policy announcement, but added that it reflected a broader pattern in Trump’s foreign policy, where threats of force have become a recurring feature.
Oman is at least the 15th country Trump has threatened to attack, declined to rule out attacking, or actually attacked during his presidency, CNN reported.
Nearly all of those cases have taken place in the first 16 months of his second term, though some span both terms.
So far in his current term, Trump has launched strikes in seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Some of those countries were also targeted during his first term.
CNN said the total does not include strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, which have targeted nearly 60 vessels and killed more than 190 people.
Trump has also threatened or left open the possibility of strikes against Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Mexico, Panama and Oman during his current term.
During his first term, he also threatened Mexico and North Korea.
CNN noted that the threats and strikes differ in nature.
Some, including strikes in Iraq, were narrowly aimed at terrorist targets rather than the country’s government. Other threats were less direct, with Trump simply refusing to rule out military action.
The report said the figures show how often Trump has invoked the possibility of force.
The countries he has threatened or attacked account for about one out of every 11 people in the world, meaning a significant share of the global population has had reason to consider the possibility of U.S. military action under Trump, according to CNN.
The Middle East has been a particular focus of Trump’s threats and attacks.
Trump has now threatened or targeted five countries in the region: Iran, Iraq, Oman, Syria and Yemen.
CNN also noted that Trump’s threats and strikes have covered four of the world’s six populated continents: Africa, Asia, North America and South America.
He has also technically threatened a European country, Denmark, by discussing the possibility of taking Greenland, a Danish territory in North America.
In several cases, Trump’s comments have gone beyond military threats and into possible territorial expansion.
Of the 15 countries he has threatened or attacked, five have been identified by Trump as possible additions to the U.S. or targets for U.S. control: Canada, Cuba, Greenland, Panama, specifically the Panama Canal, and Venezuela.
CNN said Trump had previously portrayed his political opponents as interventionists who would pull the U.S. into foreign wars, including World War III, but as president has built a long list of countries he has threatened or actually attacked.
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