Political differences between Iran and Arab neighbours surface over Gulf name

By Hussein Al-Saleh in Riyadh
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-01-19

[KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images] Saudi fans celebrate during the first Islamic Solidarity Games in 2005.

The identity of the Gulf - is it Persian, as Iran insists, or Arab, as the Arab states maintain - is the subject of renewed controversy after the cancellation of the 2nd Islamic Solidarity Games. The decision to cancel the games was announced in Riyadh Sunday (January 17th) by the board of directors of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF).

National sports teams from more than 56 Islamic countries members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference were scheduled to participate in the games in Tehran this March.

An official on the board of directors of the ISSF said the decision to cancel the games resulted from Iran's decision to place the phrase "the Persian Gulf" on the event logo and on medals and printed material, which violates ISSF regulations. The cancellation decision follows the earlier postponement of the games from last October because of fears about the H1N1 virus.

Arab gulf states maintain that the Gulf is Arab, while Iranians say that "Persian" is the historical name of the Gulf. In a recent interview with Al-Jazeera, the former President of the Iranian Shura Council, Adil Hadad, brought up a political document signed by former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, stating that the Gulf is "Persian".

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ignited a controversy when he used the expression "Persian" to refer to the Gulf in a speech at the Gulf Summit in 2007 in Doha, which many Gulf leaders thought was "inappropriate".

In an interview with Al-Shorfa, Dr. Munir Sultan, professor of political sciences, pointed to an "Iranian desire to politicise a sporting event, despite the fact that the laws of the FIFA Federation forbid this."

"Negotiations took place between the Federation's member states at the board of directors of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, attempting to dissuade Tehran from using the term, but it insisted on its position," Sultan said. "This made the Arab states, and the Gulf states in particular, consider the Iranian position to be a direct challenge, so they reacted by preventing Iran from hosting the Games. This does not occur merely against a background of the use of the word 'Persian' to describe the Gulf, but also as a result of its hostile attitudes towards these states."

Sultan said that there are a number of disputes between the Gulf states and Iran. Many Gulf states are increasingly weary of a security threat from Iran.

"There is a boundary dispute between Iran and Kuwait regarding the continental shelf, which contains enormous reserves of oil and gas. There is also Iran's occupation of the three Emirati islands and its refusal to accept international arbitration. As regards Bahrain, 'provocative' announcements have been issued by Iranian officials stating that it belongs to Iran."

He added that the "foremost" dispute is between Tehran and Riyadh, which is "manifesting itself in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Palestine."

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