Seven Countries Bordering the Persian (Arabian) Gulf

The Persian Gulf (also called the Arabian Gulf) is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia, bordered by eight nations. The prompt asks for six; here are all eight for completeness.

The Eight Littoral States

1. Iran (north/northeast coast – longest coastline)
2. Iraq (northwest – short 58 km at Umm Qasr)
3. Kuwait (northwest – deep harbor, Bubiyan Island)
4. Saudi Arabia (west/southwest – longest Arab coast)
5. Bahrain (archipelago, central)
6. Qatar (peninsula, central-west)
7. United Arab Emirates (south/southeast – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah)
8. Oman (Musandam Peninsula at Strait of Hormuz + Gulf of Oman coast)

Strategic Context

• The Strait of Hormuz (between Iran and Oman's Musandam) is the only outlet; ~20–30% of world oil transits.
• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprises the six Arab monarchies: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman. Iraq and Iran are not members.
• Major offshore oil/gas fields underlie the waters of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar (North Field / South Pars – world's largest gas field), UAE, Kuwait.

Any six from the eight above satisfy the question; the GCC six are the most commonly grouped.