Geography of the Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime chokepoint located between the Islamic Republic of Iran to the north and the Sultanate of Oman to the south, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, which opens into the Arabian Sea and ultimately the Indian Ocean. At its narrowest, it is only 34 km (21 miles) wide, with shipping lanes as narrow as 3.2 km in each direction separated by a 3.2 km buffer zone. The strait constitutes the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, making it irreplaceable in the global maritime routing of energy. Countries bordering the Persian Gulf — Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Iran — have no alternative ocean outlet.