To President Barack Obama

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Dr. Mansur Rastani
by Dr. Mansur Rastani
01-Dec-2010
 

Mr. President,

At an official level, the UN and various other international bodies recognize " Persian Gulf " as the established and recommended name based on historical usage. That has also been the official position of all the United States administrations since the time of its independence more than two and a quarter centuries ago. Or rather it has been until your term of presidency.

On October 20, 2010 at a press briefing on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro in prepared remarks said ”It will send a strong message to countries in the region that we are committed to support the security of our key partners and allies in the “Arabian Gulf” and broader Middle East.” He has also used word “Gulf” twice in his briefing in referring to “Persian Gulf”.

On November 24, 2010 the United States Navy has ordered all troops under its command to use the forged name “Arabian Gulf” to refer to the body of water to the south of Iran, and also made it acceptable to exercise using term “Gulf” in a second reference.

Considering neither of the illicit and historically incorrect terms “Arabian Gulf” or “Gulf” is recognized internationally, the use of such language by the U.S. government departments and officials in conducting the administration dogmas across the globe raises serious speculation about the nature of such wrong-doing policies. To realize how chaotic this episode may sound among international communities just imagine that U.S. unilaterally starts using the term “Gulf of America” in referring to the “ Gulf of Mexico ”.

Mr. President ,

The politically charged term "Arabian Gulf" or simply “Gulf” has originally been devised by some Arab states to create division between Arabs and non-Arabs in the Middle East. Iraqi dictator

Saddam Hussein employed the term to legitimize his territorial ambitions and generate discord among Arabs and Iranians, Israelis, and other non-Arabs in the region. Osama Bin Laden and other al Qaeda figures have used it to appeal for their cause and exploit potential ethnic divisions . On the other hand, the correctness of the term "Persian Gulf" is indisputable and carries none of these negative implications. The Persian Gulf has been known and recognized as such for more than 2,500 years . The name derives from the fact that the great Achaemenid Empire in the sixth century B.C.E. had its center of power in the province of Fars (Pars/ Persis) in the southwestern region of the Iranian plateau.

Mr. President ,

Prior to 1979 during the Shah’s regime Iran was the most politically stable country in the region and a strong U.S. ally. There is no doubt that our country has been degraded under the current rogue regime in Iran. The IRI regime has committed many crimes against Iranians and others and has broken and disrespected every single law of diplomacy among the international communities. The massive protests in Tehran and other cities in 2009 proved, millions of Iranians oppose the illegitimate mullahs’ regime and its criminal leaders. Despite the anti-American propaganda promoted by the Islamic republic and its mercenary religious groups at large, Iranian people not only are not anti-Americans but they have proved their genuine love for Americans by holding candlelight vigil right after the 911 attack. That is why the course of action of U.S. administration in dealing with Iran necessitates pursuing a bidirectional policy, one that targets the imposition of political sanction on the IRI regime and its leaders and the other that aims at supporting the people of Iran with their strives toward reaching democracy. As such, millions of Iranians who have participated in the demonstrations against the regime will eventually be able to replace the theocratic government with a secular democratic one based on the principles of human rights.

Mr. President ,

the use of provocative terms of “Arabian Gulf” and/or “Gulf” falls short of assisting the State Department’s vision in safeguarding the security and stability in the region . Furthermore it aims at fueling the ethnic tension in the area and will cause enmity and hostility among the people of Iran toward America, which would signify a counterproductive path for the U.S. ahead. Thus, the U.S. administration officials are strongly urged to reconsider their positions regarding this issue and only use the correct name “Persian Gulf”.

Respectfully,

On behalf of genuine Iranians

Mansur Rastani, PhD

//DefendingIranianDemocracy.blogspot.com

CC: Secretary of State, Hillary R. Clinton

CC: Secretary of Defense, Robert, M. Gates

CC: Secretary of the Navy, Ray E. Mabus

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more from Dr. Mansur Rastani
 
comrade

Make up your mind, doc...

by comrade on

 

دکتر جون، چرا واسم اینقده عشوه میای؟ از یه طرف بهم میگی‌ دیگه
اینطرفا پیدات نشه، از طرف دیگه واسم لینک میذاری که یعنی‌ بیا اونجا. نع
نمیام... تا نگی‌ سلسلهٔ آخوندی چی‌ چیه نمیام...

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


Dr. Mansur Rastani

To CIA Mercenary comrade

by Dr. Mansur Rastani on

To you CIA mercenary comrade, who don't have anything to do and are paid to just be a thorn in the eyes of humanity, I told you do not come back here, you dirty my weblog

To me you and alike are just parasites of the world society.

 

Mansur Rastani, PhD

 //DefendingIranianDemocracy.blogspot.com/

 


comrade

Can't you at least warm up your hand, doc?

by comrade on

Where is this vocabulary and phrasal bombardment  coming from? Which Mullah dynasty?

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


Dr. Mansur Rastani

To comrade and ALL the IRI-CIA Mercenaries,

by Dr. Mansur Rastani on

Looking for Persian!  Don’t need to ride a camel or fly by a plane to find one, there are everywhere in Iran, they are in Kurdistan, they are in Lorestan, they are in khoozestan (I am one of them from this grate state), they are in Bluchestan, they are in Fars, they are in Azerbaijan, they are everywhere. You have seen their bravery fights against the Mullah’s dynasty all over Iran during the last 3 decades and in particular since last year. They have courageously fought against the IRI tyranny and shielded their chest against Tazi soldiers’ bullets to recapture their stolen human rights once their predecessor King Cyrus the Great has brought to the world 2500 years ago.

 

And of course the Mullahs’ members and their mercenaries will never be able to see them because they are blind not only by sight but by heart since they are the enemies of the PERSIANS.  This type mentality is exactly what CIA, MI5 and MI6, and the rest of the world Imperialism are after for our great nation, undermining PERSIANS.

 

To them I say the fight of Babk Khoramdin against Arabs’ attack 1400 years ago has never been over, the fight is for PERSIANS to finish by kicking the Arabs’ asses who are occupying Iran and throw them out of our country.

 

To comrade and ALL the IRI-CIA Mercenaries, Listen Good: Don’t dare to come back to my weblog again, there is no democracy granted to IRI-CIA mercenaries here.

 

Mansur Rastani, PhD

 //DefendingIranianDemocracy.blogspot.com/

 


comrade

Of docs and ducking the question

by comrade on

How far should we walk, ride on a camel, drive a car, or fly on a plane before we spot a Persian on either side of that body of water?

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


Dr. Mansur Rastani

Zuruz Again and Again

by Dr. Mansur Rastani on

 Oh yes, when it comes to Iran and the criminal Mullahs I am as serious as cancer.  Please don’t give me the B.S. stuff that you don’t know Press TV! Don’t insult your viewers by assuming them to be so naive!  

History of Persian Gulf coming from bunch of certified-toilet-cleaner Mullahs is just another mimicking of the monkey Ahmadinejad’s dialoguing Cyrus the Great!

Genuine Iranians don’t want the smooth transition of Mullah’s era to someday democracy in Iran, that is the way the western oil cartels, the mullahs puppeteers desire. They want to keep the religion Islam in our country intact and in power so that they are able to continue their plundering our nation freely with no national resistance.  

Genuine Iranians will never compromise their Persian integrity with bunch of Tazi Mullahs, instead they stand against tyranny by following civil disobedience in every aspect of their lives to the point of IRI surrender and eventually fall, that is the only way to get back our country from the hands of bunch of Arab occupiers.

To me, you and alike are just bunch of IRI-CIA mercenaries who have the mission of serving Uncle Sam’s desire in smoothening the path for their new way of imperialism through misleading and deception of your countrymen.

 

As I said before you and alike have no place on my weblog, please respect that.

 

Mansur Rastani, PhD

 //DefendingIranianDemocracy.blogspot.com/

 


zuruz

Dr. Mansur Rastani

by zuruz on

Thank you for your effort to save the ancient Persian Gulf from being forged by US Department of Navy and other Obama administration. We have at least 60 millions Iranians who want democracy in Iran and many of them must work to survive and feed their family. Many of them do not want to leave Iran or not able to do so. They are Iranian resistance within the Mullah’s regime. They are Iranians and will fight to free Iran from inside, because they love Iran and Persian Gulf as well. Regardless of who wrote the article we should not be prejudice about it. I did not see anything wrong or in favor of the Mullah’s regime within that article. I found it perhaps interesting for Iranian community through the Persian Gulf blogs. Actually I did not check the background that the press TV belongs to. Since due to division between Mullah Regime and creation of green movement and other resistance parties it is hard to tell what is going on in Iran!   


Dr. Mansur Rastani

To ZURUZ – Press TV, an IRI Mercenary

by Dr. Mansur Rastani on

 Again and Again and Again …….

No IRI is allowed here, No democracy is granted to IRI members and their mercenaries on this blog. I don’t give it a damn for your defense or whatever it is that you are trying to pull!

 

You as the mercenary of IRI are part of the Iranian problem, problem is like cancerous disease, and the only cure is to cut the cancerous cells out of the body through surgery and throw it away into the garbage, exactly the way that Iranians are going to do with the mullahs’ government and all its elements.  

Mansur Rastani, PhD

 //DefendingIranianDemocracy.blogspot.com/

 


zuruz

The Persian Gulf History by Press TV

by zuruz on

The Persian Gulf is a body of water situated south of Iran, separating the Persian Plateau from the Arabian Peninsula; to the Iranian nation, however, the story is dramatically different.

To the people of Iran, the Persian Gulf does not just signify a name or a geographical phenomenon - they consider the Persian Gulf to be representative of their ancient civilization and a manifestation of their ancestors' supremacy in the region.

Historically, the Persian Gulf was a cradle of ancient civilizations and a strategic passageway that connected the Far East to Europe. It has perpetually been at the center of global attention - of both merchants and rulers.

The earliest civilizations which were recorded on the peripheries of the Persian Gulf are from 5,000 years ago, when the kingdoms of Elam and Sumer emerged. There is evidence to indicate that Elamites, Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians traded with the maritime principalities along the southern coasts of the Persian Gulf. The result was a trade in precious commodities such as pearls, gold and silver.

According to Azizollah Bayat, an Iranian scholar and researcher, the history of sailing on the Persian Gulf can be dated to 700 BCE. The Assyrian king Sennacherib who ruled from 705 to 681 BCE was the first emperor to stage marine expeditions in the Persian Gulf.

During the Achaemenid dynasty, all of the coastlines and islands of the Persian Gulf were controlled by Iran. Persian sailors, under the powerful Achaemenids, cruised the Gulf without impediment.

The Persian Gulf is an important area geographically, so foreign powers always attempt to dominate it, whether culturally, financially or strategically. Due to a growing pan-Arabic sentiment over the past decades, the most recent efforts made to distort the identity of the Persian Gulf are relentless (yet futile) attempts to bring about a new name for the Persian Gulf, namely, the Arabian Gulf.

Those who intentionally or inadvertently employ the term "Arabian Gulf" instead of the historically accurate Persian Gulf are absolutely unable to cite any evidence. It is clear that the name which they've devised is a political device as opposed to a geographical name.

According to the 2007 United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, "Persian Gulf" is the only valid or credible name to refer to the body of water separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.

There are thousands, even millions of pages of hard evidence which reveal the historic veracity of the name Persian Gulf; however, those who have invented the term "Arabian Gulf" to replace the Persian Gulf are unable to put forward even a single page of evidence. On the other hand, however, there is strong evidence to show that the ultra-nationalist schemers in certain Arab countries are resorting to almost anything to achieve their goal, to damage the Iranian identity of the Persian Gulf.

Some scholars and researchers suggest that there is a growing identity crisis in the Arab world which leads their politicians to contemplate a new name for the world's third largest gulf. Perhaps such a geographic entity would help to provide their citizens with a sense of honor and superiority which cannot be achieved politically. Others, however, believe that the name-manufacturing project emanates from a desire for an implicit confrontation with Iran, the country which now is the regional superpower.

It is perceived that some Arab states can not tolerate such a status. By any method of measurement, however, this project has brought them nothing, and merely underscores their inability to honor their people through scientific, diplomatic, cultural or social achievement.

A brief look at historic documents, maps and atlases makes it obvious that the name Persian Gulf is one of the most verifiable, demonstrable and undeniable geographic designations one may encounter.

In his work Anabasis, the Greek historian-soldier Xenophon referred to the Persian Gulf as "Sinus Persicus" some 2430 years ago. The second century mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and poet Ptolemy also refers to the Persian Gulf as "Sinus Persicus" in his Geography.

In his 1580 map, the Belgian cartographer and geographer Abraham Ortels refers to Persian Gulf as "Sinus Persicus." Another Belgian cartographer, Gerardus Mercator, also refers to the Persian Gulf as "Sinus Persicus" in his 1595 map.

The 15th century German cartographer and cosmographer, Sebastian Munster uses the same Latin term to refer to Persian Gulf: "Sinus Persicus." In David Rumsey's online collection of ancient world maps, there's a map by the French cartographer Philippe Vandermaelen which portrays the Persian Gulf as "Golfe Persique."

In his splendid 1657 map, cartographer and geographer Nicholas Visscher uses the term "Sinus Persicus" to refer to the Persian Gulf.

A leading French mapmaker of the 17th century, Sir Gilles Robert de Vaugondy referred to the body of water as the Persian Gulf in his 1752 map of Arabia.

Even the Arab cartographers have sporadically used the term Persian Gulf to refer to the body of water separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula. In a 1952 map, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (ARAMCO) used the term "Persian Gulf." In his 1935 book in the Arabic language, Political History of Islam published by Hejazi Printing House, Cairo, the Egyptian scholar Dr Hassan Ibrahim Hassan refers to the Persian Gulf as the "Sea of Fars."

The documents and authenticated evidence demonstrate that the Persian Gulf is a name which has roots extending deep into the annals of history. Such a title cannot be replaced or falsified by politicians who have not even investigated a single topic of geography or history. To the nation of Iran, the Persian Gulf is something beyond a simple geographical name. For them, the Persian Gulf is identity, personality, honor and splendor.

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Bahram Gohari

Persian Gulf

by Bahram Gohari on

Thank you Dr. Mansur Rastani for standing up for what is right, Persian Gulf is here to stay for ever.


Maryam Hojjat

Thank you Dr. Rastani

by Maryam Hojjat on

for your great letter.  I am grateful to you in lieu of  all true IRANIANS like you who care about IRAN.