This thesis is an analytical study of the legal and political aspects of the Strait of Hormuz. It involves an evaluation of the policies of the Gulf States towards the applicable legal regime of passage through the Strait of Hormuz and their reactions towards both the 1958 and 1982 conventions on the Law of the Sea. Special attention is made to the practice of the States bordering the Strait of Hormuz as contained in their national laws. Our analysis of the applicable legal regime of passage through the Strait of Hormuz is conducted in the light of the prevailing international rules governing passage through international straits. Extensive discussion is devoted to the principal sources of threats to the Gulf’s security and to the safety of navigation through the Gulf Sea lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz. / Law, Peter A. Allard School of / Graduate