President Rouhani told his Turkish counterpart that “guaranteeing the security of the Persian Gulf waterways, the Sea of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz has always been important for Iran as the largest littoral state”. Rouhani added that “the security of regional waterways has to be protected only by its littoral states, and that the presence of U.S. forces and them inviting other countries to be present in the region will only increase the existing problems and tensions”.