Tehran, April 30, IRNA � Vice-president for legal affairs said upon international laws, changing national identity of a country bears responsibility and Iranian officials can file a legal suit against changing the name of the Persian Gulf.

Elham Aminzadeh made the remarks in a ceremony to commemorate the national day of Persian Gulf here on Thursday.

She added that the United Nations has recognized the name of the waterway between Iran plateau and Arabian Peninsula officially as 'Persian Gulf'.

In recent years, certain people in a futile effort tried to distort the name of Persian Gulf, Aminzadeh said.

The VP said that through history, Iran had faced invasions directly and sometime indirectly with the aim to deny Iranian national and cultural symbols.

Based on historical documents and evidence, she added, the governments in a serious reaction did not confirm such a move and reaffirmed the ancient name of Persian Gulf.

The name of Persian Gulf in history has been always established and even Arabs and Ottomans did not try to change it.

She added that in 1950s, after nationalization of Iran's oil industry, Britain began a project to change the name of the Persian Gulf to redress its failure.

In 1960s, ex-president of Egypt Jamal Abdul-Nasser in opposition with Pahlavi Dynasty used the forged name of 'Arabian Gulf'.

Later, Iraqi Ba'th regime with radical Arab nationalism and by preparing false maps tried to promote the false name.

In 1991, the UN officially apologized Iran for mistakenly registering documents and using the forged name of Arabian Gulf.

The VP added that Iranian officials by using all legal, scientific and media capacities are ready to confront those who use the forged name.

In 2005, Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution named April 30 as national day of the Persian Gulf.

On the day, King Abbas Safavi ended dominance of Portuguese on the Persian Gulf after more than one century.

By IRNA