For about 200 years , from 1763 until 1971 , the United Kingdom kept some control over some of the Persian Gulf countries . These countries were the United Arab Emirates and at various times Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , and Qatar . From 1763 until 1971 , the British Empire maintained varying degrees of political control over some of the Persian Gulf states , including the United Arab Emirates ( originally called the `` Trucial Coast States '' ) and at various times Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , and Qatar through the British Residency of the Persian Gulf .