Persian Gulf
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WARNING: Military strikes from the US/Israel–Iran conflict affected parts of the Middle East between March and May 2026. Many airports and sea ports were affected, with some airspaces and ship routes restricted. Some civilian facilities like airports and tourist attractions were also targeted by airstrikes.
Travel in the Gulf states for a brief period returned to normal in mid-June, but some strikes resumed in July. Many governments advise you to reconsider your need to travel to the Gulf states, with Bahrain and Kuwait having do not travel warnings. Cruise shipping in this area is still infeasible due to the uncertainty of the Strait of Hormuz. Several governments also still advise you to reconsider your need to travel (including transiting through) to various Gulf states (excluding Oman and Saudi Arabia) due to the region's volatility. |
Government travel advisories
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| (Information last updated 01 Aug 2026) |
The Persian Gulf is located in the Middle East between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. It is an extension of the Indian Ocean. The narrows at its mouth is the Straits of Hormuz, a strategically important area in various conflicts.
"Persian Gulf" has been the usual term in English for centuries; this goes back at least to the Romans calling it "Sinus Persicus". It is sometimes also called the "Arabian Gulf", mainly in Arab countries.
The entire east coast of the Gulf is in Iran, formerly known as Persia. We have an article for the Iranian coastal region.
The west coast is shared by a number of countries. Saudi Arabia has most of it, and we have an article for the Saudi Gulf coast. The other countries, listed north-to-south, are:
The Gulf Cooperation Council has Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates as members. Nationals of any of these countries can work and reside in the others without a visa.
