Iran to Google: Fix Your Map, or We’ll Sue
The Iranian government said it will sue Google after the Internet company removed the name of the Persian Gulf from its mapping service.
The body of water between Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar was left nameless after the search giant removed the tag from Google Maps.
It is not clear why Google decided to remove the name, widely referred to as the Persian Gulf, or if it was caused by a bug in the system. A Google spokesperson declined to comment.
It does not explain why Google Earth keeps the name tag in place.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast warned Google could face “serious damages” if it did not return the water’s name, reports the Associated Press.
Iran is culturally sensitive about the name of the Persian Gulf, which has stirred tensions between Iranians and Arabs for years. The name has been disputed since the 1960s. Some Arab states call the stretch of water the Arabian Gulf.