Iran warns of litigation against Google over nameless ‘Gulf’
Iran warns Internet giant Google of legal action, should the US-based 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,” Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters on Thursday. He cautioned the company against sustaining serious damage if it avoids ‘the proper’ use of the name ‘Persian Gulf.’ “Omitting the name Persian Gulf is [like] playing with the feelings and realities of the Iranian nation,” the spokesperson pointed out. 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 While historical documents show that the waterway has always been referred to as the “Persian Gulf”, certain Arab states have recently made additional attempts to remove the word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.
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