President Ahmadinejad Rings School Bell On ˈNational Persian Gulf Dayˈ

Tehran, April 30, IRNA – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rang the bell in Tehranˈs Alborz High school on the occasion of the national Persian Gulf Day on Tuesday. Several Iranian officials including vice president and director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh were accompanying President Ahmadinejad. The president will make a speech later on today on the occasion in Interior Ministry in Tehran. The Presidential Office also congratulated the national Persian Gulf Day. Iran designated April 30 as te National Persian Gulf Day to protect the waterwayˈs cultural and historical identity which stands as one of the most important symbols of national identity. The day highlights the fact that the waterway has been referred to by historians and ancient texts as ˈPersianˈ since the Achaemenid Empire was established in what is now modern day Iran. National Persian Gulf Day coincides with the anniversary day of the expulsion of Portuguese military forces from the Strait of Hormoz in 1622, during the reign of Safavid king Shah Abbas I (1587-1629)./end