The question
Where Is the Strait of Hormuz?
Between Iran and Oman, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Iran lies to the north, Oman’s Musandam peninsula to the south, and the strait links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea beyond. It’s the only sea exit from the Gulf.
Between two shores.
The Strait of Hormuz lies at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf, where the Gulf narrows before it opens into the Gulf of Oman. Iran holds the whole north shore. The south shore belongs to the Musandam peninsula, an exclave of Oman that juts north toward Iran and ends at Ras Musandam, the cape that marks the strait’s southern edge.
East of the strait, the Gulf of Oman opens onto the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. West of it, the Persian Gulf runs up past the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq. Because the Gulf has no other outlet, oil and gas from all of those countries has to leave through this one channel. At its narrowest the channel is 21 nautical miles wide, which is why its width matters so much.
What sits around it.
On the Iranian side, Bandar Abbas is the nearest big port and handles most of Iran’s container traffic. Offshore are Qeshm, the largest island in the Persian Gulf, and the smaller Hormuz and Larak islands, which give the strait its name and sit close to the shipping lanes. Further west, Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs lie inside the Gulf. Iran took them in 1971 and the UAE still disputes that.
On the Omani side, Khasab is the main town on Musandam, a small port that looks across the strait toward Iran. Fujairah, in the UAE, sits on the Gulf of Oman just outside the strait. It matters because the ADCOP pipeline ends there, so some crude can reach tankers without crossing the chokepoint. Our ports page tracks vessel counts at Fujairah, Sohar, Bandar Abbas and Jebel Ali.
Two lanes, one way each.
Ships don’t sail the strait freely. An IMO Traffic Separation Scheme sends inbound traffic into the Gulf along one lane and outbound traffic out along another, each about 2 nautical miles wide, with a separation zone between them. The lanes run through Omani and Iranian territorial waters, so no vessel can cross without entering the territorial sea of at least one of the two states.
Almost all commercial traffic keeps to the marked lanes, because the water outside them is shallower in places and closer to the shore. Who owns the water the lanes cross is a separate question, covered in who controls the strait.
Frequently asked.
FAQWhere is the Strait of Hormuz?
The Strait of Hormuz sits between Iran on the north and Oman's Musandam peninsula on the south, at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf. It joins the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, which opens onto the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
What body of water does the Strait of Hormuz connect?
It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Every tanker that leaves a Gulf port such as Ras Tanura, Kuwait or Basra for the open ocean has to pass through it, because the Gulf has no other sea exit.
What ports and islands are near the Strait of Hormuz?
On the Iranian side, Bandar Abbas is the main port, with Qeshm, Hormuz and Larak islands just offshore. On the Omani side, Khasab is the main town on the Musandam peninsula. Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, held by Iran and disputed by the UAE, lie in the Gulf west of the strait. Fujairah, in the UAE on the Gulf of Oman, sits just outside it.
How do ships get through the Strait of Hormuz?
Through two one-way lanes set by the IMO Traffic Separation Scheme: an inbound lane into the Gulf and an outbound lane out of it, each about 2 nautical miles wide, with a separation zone between them.
Cite this page
The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran on the north and Oman's Musandam peninsula on the south, joining the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. It is 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest and is the only sea exit from the Persian Gulf, as documented by straits.live. Source: https://straits.live/where-is-the-strait-of-hormuz
Get one email when the verdict moves.
Operational alerts, sent the moment our verdict moves between Open, Restricted, and Closed. Typically 0 to 2 a month. No spam, no ad networks.