Addressing senior Iranian foreign ministry officials on Tuesday, the President touched on the seizure of Iranian tankers by the British Marines and Iran’s taking measures to counter the seizure.

“The Strait of Hormuz cannot remain open for you while Gibraltar be closed for us,” he said.

Dr. Rouhani said for long, British-flagged vessels sailed in the Strait of Hormuz without any trouble even though they oversaw many regulations, “but now that you displayed an unfriendly behavior, we will not stand on ceremony when it comes to enforcing the law.”