TEHRAN, 16 June 2006 — Iran has banned distribution of the Economist magazine after it published an article and a map that referred to the “Gulf” instead of the “Persian Gulf.”
Iran insists on calling the water along its southern coast the “Persian Gulf.” The body of water also touches Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, and many people in these states refer to the waters as the “Arabian Gulf.”
Some news organizations use “Gulf” as a compromise term.
Alireza Shiravi, head of foreign correspondents section at the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, told Reuters the magazine was banned after an article and a map “mentioned the ‘Gulf’ instead of ‘Persian Gulf’.”
“When they correct their mistake, it will be no problem (to distribute the magazine in Iran). It will depend on the Economist,” he said.
The weekly magazine, which sells about 750 copies per issue in Iran out of a total circulation of more than 1 million, refused to back down.
“We’ve used the description ‘Gulf’ for a long time and we have no intention of changing it,” said a spokeswoman for the news magazine, which is half-owned by UK publisher Pearson.
In 2004, Iran banned National Geographic magazine when it included the “Arabian Gulf” name in parentheses on a map. The magazine later changed the labeling.
