The
Strait of Hormuz Tangeh-ye Hormoz ,
Maḍīq Hurmuz) is a
strait between the
Gulf of Oman and the
Persian Gulf. It is the only sea passage from the
Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important
choke points. On the north coast is
Iran, and on the south coast is the
United Arab Emirates and
Musandam, an
exclave of
Oman. At its narrowest, the strait is wide. In the local dialects of Hurmoz and Minab this strait is still called Hurmogh and has the aforementioned meaning. The resemblance of this word with the name of the Persian god
Hormoz (a variant of
Ahura Mazda) has resulted in the popular belief that these words are related.