The Gulf of Oman is also known as the Sea of Oman is actually a strait rather than a gulf, which connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which in turn runs into the Persian Gulf. It is bordered by Pakistan and Iran to the north, Oman to the south, and the United Arab Emirates to the west.

The Gulf is some 320 kilometres wide between Cape al-Ḥadd in Oman and Gwādar Bay on the Pakistan–Iran border, and 560 kilometres long, connecting with the Persian Gulf to the north-west through the Strait of Hormuz. There are several small ports along the Gulf’s coast, including Ṣuḥār, al-Khābūrah, Muscat, and Ṣūr, in Oman, and Jāsk and Bandar Beheshtī, in Iran.

There is still some fishing activity in the Gulf but its main purpose is as a shipping route for the oil-producing region around the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Oman provides the only entrance from the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean into the Persian Gulf and as such the world’s major oil importers and exporters have a vested interest in its security.