In a message on the occasion of the National Day of the Persian Gulf, Pezeshkian considered this strategic waterway an inseparable part of the national identity of Iranians and a symbol of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Referring to the developments resulting from the imposed Ramadan war (the US-Israeli aggression on Iran that began on February 28), he emphasized the increasing importance of the Strait of Hormuz in the world’s security and energy equations.
He described the bravery of the country’s naval forces at this time as a sign of Iran’s decisive role in protecting regional security and vital energy transport routes.
The President also referred to the shift of the enemy’s field of pressure to the economic and maritime arenas, calling the strategy of a naval blockade and creating restrictions on Iran’s maritime trade contrary to international law and warned that the responsibility for any insecurity in the Persian Gulf will fall on the United States and the Zionist regime.
He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran, while adhering to the principles of freedom of navigation, believes that the sustainable security of this water area depends on the collective cooperation of coastal countries and the withdrawal of foreigners from the region.
On February 28, the United States and the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran, during which then Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials were martyred.
Iranian Armed Forces responded with weeks of missile and drone strikes targeting American and Israeli military positions in the occupied territories and the Persian Gulf region, inflicting heavy damages in 100 waves of counterattacks over a period of 40 days.
Iran’s retaliation also featured the country’s closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz to vessels belonging to enemies and their allies.
The Islamic Republic then subjected the waterway to further restrictions, conditioning passage of vessels to their securing permission from relevant Iranian authorities. The latter move came after the US announced continuation of an illegal blockade it has been trying to impose on Iranian vessels and ports.