Persian Gulf

noun

1. an arm of the Arabian Sea, between SW Iran and Arabia. 600 miles (965 km) long.

Persian Gulf

noun

1. a shallow arm of the Arabian Sea between SW Iran and Arabia: linked with the Arabian Sea by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman; important for the oilfields on its shores. Area: 233 000 sq km (90 000 sq miles)

Persian Gulf

1. Arm of the Indian Ocean between Arabia and Iran.

The Persian Gulf oil fields are among the most productive in the world.

The Persian Gulf region was dominated by Britain for most of the twentieth century. After Britain's withdrawal in the late 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence in the region. (See Persian Gulf War.)

Example Sentences

Qatar, a Persian Gulf nation with little airspace of its own, has long cultivated ties with the U.S. military.

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Qatar and its Persian Gulf neighbors, who had acted as vital go-betweens for the U.S.,

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He said Iran's Arab allies in the Persian Gulf were "doing their best to try to prepare the necessary atmosphere for a dialogue".

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Not long before the announcement, Iran fired off ballistic missiles at a US airbase in Qatar, sparking fears of a wider war across the Persian Gulf.

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It could also target a critical shipping route known as the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and through which 30% of the world's oil supply is transported.

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