Who is there
- US Fifth Fleet — headquartered in Bahrain; covers the Gulf, Red Sea, and approaches.
- Combined Maritime Forces — multinational naval coalition headquartered alongside Fifth Fleet.
- Royal Navy — UK presence at HMS Jufair, Bahrain.
- French Navy — base at Abu Dhabi.
- Gulf state navies and coast guards — Saudi, UAE, Qatari, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, Omani.
- Iranian Navy and IRGC Navy — distinct forces with different roles and command chains.
Deconfliction
Direct US-Iran military communication exists at limited tactical level for deconfliction in specific scenarios — collision avoidance, distress response, vessel identification — but does not extend to strategic-level coordination. Most of the deconfliction work runs through third parties: Oman is the longest-standing channel, with Qatar, Switzerland, and the UN also active at different moments.
What the Gulf states actually want
The Gulf states are not a single bloc. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have historically been the most assertive on Iran; Qatar and Oman have maintained the most active channels with Tehran; Bahrain is closest to the Saudi line; Kuwait is cautious. The 2023 Saudi-Iran restoration of relations under Chinese mediation moved the centre of gravity toward managed coexistence rather than confrontation.