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Iran holds Comorian ship over using ‘Arabian Gulf’ name

8 years ago

Iran seized a Comoros Islands-flagged ship on Saturday as its trading documents contained the waters between Iran and the Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf” instead of the “Persian Gulf”.

The Tasnim News Agency said that the Iranian maritime authorities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province detained the ship after detecting that it has been frequently using the “Arabian Gulf” name instead of the “Persian Gulf”.

Iran has been officially using “Persian Gulf” and does not recognise the “Arabian Gulf”.

The agency quoted the Seaports Deputy in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province saying that “Al-Imran” ship, which was registered in the Comoros Islands, was detained.

He pointed out that that the Iranian maritime authorities have changed the name of the “Persian Gulf” after taking the necessary measures and coordinating with the Comorian naval representative in the United Arab Emirates. He added that the ship’s owner apologised to the maritime authorities for the mistake.

Iran has been defending its recognition of the alleged “Persian Gulf” name with documents which it claims are historical, while Arab countries name it “Arabian Gulf” opposing Tehran.

In September, Oman Air apologised after it refer to the Arabian Gulf as the “Persian Gulf” on a number of its flights. The “mistake”, the airline noted, was a result of the updating of the maps by the entertainment and communication systems provider.

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