The Persian Gulf is connected to the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz.

Strait of Hormuz, also called Strait of Ormuz, channel linking the Persian Gulf (west) with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea (southeast). The strait is 35 to 60 miles (55 to 95 km) wide and separates Iran (north) from the Arabian Peninsula (south).

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration and ClipperData, Inc. The Strait of Hormuz, located between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The Strait of Hormuz is not international waters. Hormuz is an international strait covered by the territorial waters of Iran and Oman (see Gioia). Other states have an extensive right to transit, known as transit passage, in such international straits according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz would inflate oil prices, not only in the west but in Asian countries such as Japan, India, and South Korea. All three countries collectively account for 42% of Iranian oil exports – Japan 17%, South Korea 9%, and India 16%.

Does Iran control the Strait of Hormuz? UN rules allow countries to exercise control up to 12 nautical miles (13.8 miles) from their coastline. This means that at its narrowest point, the strait and its shipping lanes lie entirely within Iran and Oman’s territorial waters.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow channel, approximately 30 miles wide at the narrowest point, between the Omani Musandam Peninsula and Iran. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

Recent tensions between Iran and the US are threatening the safety of the world’s ships and movement oil in the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow strait is the most important chokepoint for the world’s oil supply. Some 21 million barrels — or $1.2 billion worth of oil — pass through the strait every day.

Both the countries maintain diplomatic relations with each other, having embassies in each other’s capitals. There is a significant community of Iranians in the United Arab Emirates, mostly residing in the emirate of Dubai.