Due to the distance of remote coastal areas and multiple islands in the south of Iran from the national grid, establishing wave power plants is highly beneficial. Therefore, in this study, the wave energy potential at these regions is investigated. For this purpose, wave characteristics are provided using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for ten years, and validated against buoy measurements in two different intervals. The annual, seasonal and monthly variations of wave characteristics and seasonal wave energy flux roses along with the annual occurrence probability of different sea states are also assessed. According to the results, the wave energy in the Oman Sea reaches to its maximum, 17 kW/m at Chabahar port, in summer, and the maximum wave energy in Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which reaches to 10 kW/m in Kish Island, occurs in winter. In fact, wave parameters in the central regions of Persian Gulf have the higher values than Oman Sea in this season. Finally, Chabahar port in Oman Sea, Kangan port, Kish Island and Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf are considered as the wave energy hotspots, and the most suitable wave energy converter (WEC) systems are suggested for the selected hotspots. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.