Which countries border the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran to the north, Oman to the south

That is the whole answer to the query, and it is worth stating before the complications: the strait runs between Iranian territory on one side and Omani territory on the other.

The Omani part is the Musandam Peninsula, which is the detail that trips people up. Musandam is an exclave — physically separated from the rest of Oman by UAE territory. Look at a political map quickly and you will read that coastline as Emirati.

Where the UAE fits

The United Arab Emirates borders the Persian Gulf and wraps around Musandam on the landward side, and Emirati ports such as Fujairah sit on the Gulf of Oman coast outside the strait. What the UAE does not have is frontage on the narrowest section.

That distinction matters more than it sounds, because it is the reason Fujairah works as a bypass port: it is already on the far side.

Why the lanes are in Omani water

The traffic separation scheme lies within Omani territorial waters. That is a fact about where the lanes were drawn, and it is often misread as a statement about who commands the strait.

Control is a more complicated question than whose water the lanes sit in. Jurisdiction, presence and practical influence are three different things.

Common questions

Does Oman control the Strait of Hormuz?

Oman holds the southern side and the shipping lanes lie in its territorial waters, but no single state controls the strait. Iran holds the northern side, and international law provides a right of transit passage.

Why does Oman have territory there and not the UAE?

The Musandam Peninsula is an Omani exclave, separated from the rest of Oman by UAE territory. It is a quirk of the region’s borders, and it puts Oman on the strait rather than the UAE.

Is the Strait of Hormuz in Iran?

Partly. The northern half falls within Iranian territorial waters and the southern within Omani. Neither country holds the whole strait.