The problem of prediction in the Gulf

I can't believe it. Just a few weeks ago I was predicting the end of the fraught Arab-Persian diplomatic battle over the naming of the Gulf. The sleuthing Iraqi Foreign Minister seemed to have finally settled the issue with the discovery in some archive or other that it was actually called the Gulf of Basra. 

So much for predictions of an end to this nagging issue. While I was away last week the BBC reported a dramatic development in the dispute, with the cancellation of the Islamic Solidarity Games that were due to be held in Iran in April. As the BBC reported it:

The games federation in Saudi Arabia said the Iranian organisers had failed to address its concerns, particularly about the planned logo and medals.

These bear the words "Persian Gulf"....The Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) in Riyadh said, after an emergency board meeting, Iran's local organising committee "unilaterally took some decisions without asking the federation by writing some slogans on the medals and pamphlets of the games".  

The Interpreter will vigilantly follow this story and bring you any developments.

Photo by Flickr user Pete Ruscitti, used under a Creative Commons license.