The new terminal is located near Jask port on the Gulf of Oman, allowing ships headed into the Arabian Sea and beyond to avoid the narrow strait.

Iran's main oil export terminal is located at the port of Kharg inside the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway less than 40 kilometres (25 miles) across at its narrowest point.

"We had a terminal and if there was a problem, our oil exports would be cut off," Rouhani acknowledged, adding that "today is a great historic day for the Iranian nation".

Iran is under heavy US sanctions since then US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018, which have heavily impacted Iranian energy exports.

"The oil industry is very important for us, and it is also important for the enemy," Rouhani said in televised comments.

Iran has built a 1,000 kilometre (600 mile) pipeline to carry its crude to the new terminal in the southeast from Goreh in Bushehr province.