Brown blasted over "Arab Gulf" gaffe
Saturday, 28 Jun 2008 20:22
Gordon Brown has been criticised by Iran
Iran In Focus
If the US public is aware of the extent to which the White House was interfering in the internal affairs of Tehran in an attempt to topple the Iranian government, they would demand an immediate change in policy. Full Story
From our special correspondent
IRAN, Tehran: British prime minister Gordon Brown inflamed patriotic passions in Iran after referring to the Persian Gulf as "the Gulf of Arabia" in a speech to an energy summit on Thursday.
Iran's embassy in London criticised the prime minister in a strongly worded letter sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, describing it as another example of Britain's hostile attitude towards Iran.
The letter noted that the name "Persian Gulf" is the historically accepted term for the body of water lying to the south of Iran, and is officially recognised by the United Nations.
In his speech to the UK Low Carbon Economy Summit, Mr Brown said: "The North Sea, which as passed its peak in terms of oil and gas supplies, will be turned into the equivalent for wind power of what the Gulf of Arabia is for oil."
Tensions have been rising between London and Tehran following the British government's decision to remove the Iranian opposition group, the Mujahedeen Khalq Organisation (MKO), from its list of terrorist groups.
The MKO is still officially considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union, but Tehran has accused Washington of giving financial and material aid to the MKO at its base at Camp Ashraf in Iraq.
