Iran warns Google of losing credibility over Persian Gulf naming

Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaei, in a letter to Google CEO Larry Page, expressed the Iranian nation and government’s dissatisfaction with the internet company’s recent move to drop the name Persian Gulf from its Google Maps and called for a reversal of the move.

“Google’s new policy will bear no result but the undermining of the credibility and professional performance of the corporation, and this will entail the dissatisfaction of a great nation and those who are concerned about the politically-motivated abuse of historical and geographical facts,” Khazaei said.

Professional institutions and organizations are expected to maintain impartiality and remain watchful regarding moves defined by the political purposes of entities, he added.

The Iranian ambassador stated that the UN policy of placing emphasis on the name “the Persian Gulf” as the only attributable name for the waterway should be respected.

He expressed hope that Google would once again pay heed to this highly sensitive issue and take whatever step necessary in making a revision in its naming policy regarding the Persian Gulf in accordance with documents “once and for all.”

The Google website has recently dropped the name of the Persian Gulf from the body of water separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula, and left it nameless on its online map service.

While historical documents show that the waterway has always been referred to as the “Persian Gulf”, certain Arab states have recently made additional attempts to remove the word “Persian” from the waterway’s ancient appellation.

On May 17, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast warned Google of legal action, should the corporation continue to use ‘alternative words’ for the Persian Gulf.

“Toying with modern technologies in political issues is among the new measures by the enemies against Iran, [and] in this regard, Google has been treated as a plaything,” Mehmanparast said.
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