Madam Secretary, the Name is Persian Gulf

The State Department statement was relatively brief: "The Secretary [of State Hillary Rodham Clinton] is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis B. Ross to the position of Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for The Gulf and Southeast Asia." Which "Gulf?" Gulf of Mexico? Gulf of Aqaba? Gulf of Tonkin? Gulf of Aden? Gulf of Carpenteria? There are so many of them!

We read on. "This is a region in which America is fighting two wars and facing challenges of ongoing conflict, terror, proliferation, access to energy, economic development and strengthening democracy and the rule of law." Oh! That Gulf.

Well, Madam Secretary, you need first and foremost an advisor on history because, given his long history of bias toward Iran, in addition to be totally unfit for the job, your advisor and "expert," Dennis Ross, does not know the history of that region. The name of that Gulf is Persian Gulf, nothing less, nothing more. It has been that way since at least 330 B.C., when the Achaemenid Empire established the first Persian Empire in Pars (or Persis, the region which is called Fars in the present Iran) in southwestern region of Iran. After that historical event, Greek - not Iranian - sources started calling the body of water that bordered this region the Persian Gulf. It has stayed that way ever since.

In his 1928 book, A Periplus of the Persian Gulf, Sir Arnold Talbot Wilson, the British civil commissioner in Iraq from 1918-1920, stated that,

No water channel has been so significant as Persian Gulf to the geologists, archaeologists, geographer, merchants, politicians, excursionists, and scholars whether in past or in present. This water channel which separates the Iran Plateau from the Arabia Plate has enjoyed an Iranian identity since at least 2200 years ago.

Madam Secretary, I know that the United States and its allies import significant amount of oil from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. I know that the U.S. supports the corrupt and dictatorial Arab regimes there, because they protect what is perceived as the vital interests of the U.S. (although those regimes are the main culprit in the rise of al-Qaeda). I also know that these nations are spending tens of billions of dollars to buy weapons from the U. S. - weapons that they neither need, nor will they ever be able to use - and that the U.S. nuclear industry is going to make billions more by selling nuclear reactors to Bahrain and other Arab nations in that region (but not, of course, Iran). Therefore, the new and changed State Department - just like the old ones - wants to appease these regimes, and avoid doing anything that would offend their rulers. I know all of that.

But, Madam Secretary, all such considerations do not, and cannot, change the history of that region. The 990 km long body of water that starts from Arvand Rud that carries the waters of Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and ends at Strait of Hormuz - another Iranian name, recognized internationally - that connects it to the Oman Sea, has always been, and will always be, the Persian Gulf. This has been recognized internationally. Nothing, and least of all the billions and trillions of the corrupt Arab rulers, can change that. If your advisors do not know that, or are not willing to tell you that, then, you need new advisors. To be successful in your efforts that region, the first thing you need to know is the region's history.

Madam Secretary, President Obama has said that the U.S. talks with Iran must be built on mutual respect. One good place to start showing this respect toward Iran and Iranians is calling that historical body of water what it has always been called, the Persian Gulf.

Comments

[Nilofar Saraj]

Thank You Mr. Sahimi for writing this and thank you Huffingtonpost for publishing this.

[Irann Quest]

The Obama admin is adamant to stress their respect for the Iranian nation and their distaste for the Iranian government. Very well then: The Iranian people are insulted when the Persian Gulf is referred to as The Gulf or the Arabian Gulf. This is not a pursuit of policy by blatant insult and disregard for a nations pride and self respect. The US admin is not forcing the hand of the Iranian government when they follow such lunacy , instead they alienate the Iranian people both in Iran and outside Iran.
If someone in the State department thinks that this sort of reverse psychology will prompt the Iranian people to support the US and back away from the current regime in Iran then the lyrics of a song prompt to mind: Dreeeams..­. dreams dreams dreeeeams.

[Soori]

Excellent article.

Unfortunately, what the new Administration calls diplomacy and as it broad casts messages to the Iranian people that it greatly respects their civilization; it very conveniently forgets that the true name of the body of water is the Persian Gulf.

The problem with U.S. foreign policy for decades and why it has failed in winning the hearts and minds of the people that it aims at pulling to its side is that it neither understands their history, their culture, their civilization nor their sensitivities; let alone actual facts.

I suggest that Secretary of State and President Obama, our intellect in office take a look at some official sites and start using its actual name.

The National Geographic map refers to this body of water as - the "Persian Gulf".

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/map/atlas/africa-geophysical.html


The UN official web-site refers to this body of water as - the "Persian Gulf".

http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westasia.pdf


Even a Saudi map from 1952 during the time of the Arab nationalist Gamal Abdul Nasser referred to this body of water as - the "Persian Gulf".

http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/blog/


As some commentators have already mentioned Arab regimes may be able to win US support and become a client state by dishing out money but one thing which no one can purchase with money is Iranian civilization, culture and history; this is not up for sale or is it a bargaining point.

[Irann Quest]

You know what, call it what you will. If anyone wants to know why Rome fell to dust just watch ten minutes of CNN and you will know exactly why. Its happening all over again. The new Rome is making the same mistakes as its predecessor did. The reality is that Iran is over 3,000 years old and the Arabs are upset about that and are desperately trying to buy some history and relevance to justify their existence, and since they cannot do this through literature, art and historical achievements they buy it with the money that the Americans pay them for their oil. Its amazing to think that even Islam, an Arab religion, has most of its renowned heros from other cultures and races, such as Salahedin, who was a Kurd. This is just further testimony to demonstrate the desperation of the Arabs.
Hillary Clinton and Dennis Ross should know better. I can see what an expensive education buys now. Venal Ignorance.

[evagorman]

Why is this post buried?

Write to white house dot gov and remind them AGAIN that it is the Persian Gulf.

[CParsa]

Persian Gulf has been known as such for over 2,500 years. It was the ancient Greeks that first referred to it by that name in the western world. In more modern times the United Nations along with other international institutions have categorically confirmed the legality of the name "Persian Gulf". There is, therefore, absolutely no scope for abuse. Anyone attempting to justify such distortion is--quite frankly--engaging in shoddy subterfuge.

[RCV]

The body of water separating the Iranian plateau to the north and the Arabian Peninsula to the south has always been called the Persian Gulf since the beginning of written records. There is no reason why we should start practicing historical revisionism to appease certain groups or to achieve certain political objectives. Madam Secretary, Mrs. Clinton, I know for a fact that it is not United States policy to refer to that body of water as anything but the Persian Gulf.

This body of water is as significant as the most significant landmark on earth to hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Abusing the name of the Persian Gulf is synonymous with abusing the hundreds of millions of people around the world who identify in many ways with the Persian Gulf.

This body of water and its name has nothing whatsoever to do with governments or the politics of the moment, the past or the future. It has everything to do with the identity, history and the culture of an ancient region with thousands of years of recorded history.

Please respect the name, Persian Gulf and let's start building a bridge of mutual respect and understanding between our civilizations. Even if we don't get along, that still should not change the fact that this body of water is called the Persian Gulf. Even if it is about globalization and breaking down borders and tariffs, there is no reason why we can’t continue calling it by its name.