Context:
Recently, The China-Iran-Russia “Security Belt 2025” naval exercise concluded at Iran’s Chabahar Port in the Gulf of Oman.
About the Gulf of Oman
- It is bordered by Pakistan and Iran in the north; by the United Arab Emirates in the west and by Oman in the south.
- It is 200 miles (320 km) wide between Cape al-Ḥadd in Oman and Gwādar Bay on the Pakistan-Iran border.
- The gulf is 350 miles (560 km) long and connects to the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Significant islands in the Gulf of Oman include Sheytan Island, Al Fahal Island, Dimaniyat Islands, and Sawadi Islands.
- Small ports along the gulf include Ṣuḥār, al-Khābūrah, Muscat, and Ṣūr in Oman, and Jāsk and Bandar Beheshtī (formerly Chāh Bahār) in Iran.
- Significant islands in the Gulf of Oman include Sheytan Island, Al Fahal Island, Dimaniyat Islands, and Sawadi Islands.
Importance
- The Gulf of Oman is a key shipping route for the oil-producing region around the Persian Gulf.
- It is the only entrance from the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean into the Persian Gulf.
- The security of the Gulf of Oman is of joint interest to the world’s major oil exporters and importers.