TEHRAN -- Iranians on Sunday held nationwide ceremonies to celebrate the National Persian Gulf Day, which represents a symbol of the unwavering anti-hegemonic stance of the country as well as dismissal of futile attempts by certain regional countries to rename the strategic body of water.
Marking the occasion, the Iranian Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on its official Twitter page that “Iranians mark April 30 as #PersianGulfDay.”
“The name of the ‘Persian Gulf’ is born with the history. All historical & international sources, ancient maps, documents, books as well as UN directive confirm that the body of water in south of Iran has always been called #PersianGulf,” the tweet read.
Elsewhere, Iranians hoisted banners and placards in front of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and British embassies in the capital, Tehran, to protest against the choice of a fake name for the Persian Gulf by officials from the two countries.
The Persian Gulf — which spans some 251,000 square kilometers — is bounded by the Arvand River in the north, which forms the frontier between Iran and Iraq, and the Strait of Hormuz in the south, which links the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean.
The strategic inland sea is an international trade route connecting the Middle East to Africa, India, and China.
It has been referred to by historians and ancient texts as “Persian” since the Achaemenid Empire was established in what is now modern-day Iran.
Every year, Iranians observe the Persian Gulf Day on the 10th of Ordibehesht, the second month on the Persian calendar, which usually falls on April 30.
The date coincides with the anniversary of a successful military campaign by Shah Abbas I of Persia in 1622, which drove the Portuguese navy out of the Strait of Hormuz.
While historical documents show that the waterway has always been referred to as the “Persian Gulf,” certain Arab states and their allies have frequently used the fictitious name “the Arabian Gulf” to point to the body of water.