Iran to ban airlines not using the term 'Persian Gulf'

[Afshin]

Iran warning over 'Persian Gulf'
By Jon Leyne
BBC News

Iran has warned that airlines will be banned from flying into its airspace, unless they use the term "Persian Gulf" on their in-flight monitors.

The transport minister has threatened to impound planes that fail to comply.

The nation is most insistent that the stretch of water separating it from its southern neighbours should be known as the Persian Gulf.

To call it the Gulf, annoys the authorities; to call it the Arabian Gulf, infuriates them even more.

Conferences are held to make the matter quite clear, an ancient map with definitive proof of the correct name was sent on a world tour.

And recently a foreign member of the cabin crew working for an Iranian airline was sacked and expelled from Iran when he got it wrong.

Patriotic matter

Now the Iranian transport minister has given foreign airlines 15 days to change the name to Persian Gulf on their in flight monitors.

If they failed, they would be prevented from entering Iranian airspace, he warned.

And if the offence was repeated, foreign airliners would be grounded and refused permission to leave Iran.

Numerous Arab airlines fly into Iran every day, not to mention Europeans and others, so it remains to be seen how they will respond.

As for the minister, Hamid Behbahani, it may or may not be a coincidence that he is making a stand on this patriotic matter at a time when he is facing calls for his impeachment for alleged lack of competence.


Jon Leyne is the BBC's Tehran correspondent. He is reporting from London after being forced to leave by the Iranian government for reporting on protests in June 2009.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8527729.stm

Published: 2010/02/22 09:57:45 GMT

© BBC MMX

[BrankoWasTheBEST]

They are trying to counter the influence of Americans with the Arabs. After Hilary Clinton's visit, IRI needs something to frighten the Arabs with and if the Arabs agree to PERSIAN GULF, they will lose face very badly with their own people.   

[ali_europe]

ban of airlines will not help much.... IRAN need to focus to become a democracy with healthy ecconomy and than every body would automatically call it Persian gulf......

It is about the importance of a country in a region to keep its influence, names can't be forced by bans ....instead of distracting from real issues IRI should give IRANIANS their rights back...if IRAN would be a stable democracy, very fast our regional power and ecconomical influence would double or even tripple..than I guarantee you, every body would use the name "PERSIAN GULF"

NEW YORK was also once called NEW Amsterdam, once British empire took over the role of other colonial powers, it was a question of time, till NEW Amsterdam changed to NEW YORK.......