On the occasion of “Persian Gulf Day”, President Rouhani asserted that “the Americans should know that the name of this gulf is ‘Persian Gulf’ and not the Gulf of New York and Washington, and this nation has been – and is – the guardian of the security of this waterway for thousands of years and they should not conspire against this nation every day”. “Let the enemies know that the Army, the IRGC and all Iranian law enforcement and military forces have been – and will be – the guardians of this waterway”, Rouhani added. In related remarks, the spokesman of the Iranian Armed Forces emphasised that “if [President Trump] is telling the truth about instructing U.S. troops to attack Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf, they should know that the smallest move or a single violation of Iran’s interests or territorial waters will lead the trespassers to receive a slap in the face”.