The Increasing Significance of the Northwestern Persian Gulf

The northwestern section of the Persian Gulf has been mostly quiet in recent years when compared to the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The rivalry between the region's two largest powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, has for months been mostly centered in Syria. But with Iraq and Kuwait gradually re-emerging — and returning to their historical competition — and with Iran's position in Syria weakened as the crisis there reaches its final stages, the northwestern Persian Gulf will experience a surge in geopolitical conflict.