Iran’s Queasiness with Western Values Continues

David Weinberger / May 18, 2012

In case anyone was unconvinced about Iran’s hostility toward everything associated with Western values, recent provocations leave no doubt.

After blocking the Olympics website, refusing to admit a Davis Cup tennis player, and slandering the Olympic logo for being “racist,” Iran’s latest flaunt is its threat to sue Google. Why? Because Google maps has no label for the Persian Gulf.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast:

Toying with modern technologies in political issues is among the new measures by the enemies against Iran, (and) in this regard, Google has been treated as a plaything. Omitting the name Persian Gulf is (like) playing with the feelings and realities of the Iranian nation.

This from Iran is not surprising. It sees Western values as inimical to its own. Consider Dipu Lal, a tennis player from Bangladesh who has been denied access to Iran for reasons unstated. Yet many believe the real reason is that Lal’s brother is a U.S. citizen.

Or take the outrage at the Olympic 2012 logo (which can be seen here), which Iran alleges spells the word Zion, a term referring to the city of Jerusalem. This comes from the same country whose president has called for the destruction of Israel and has denied the holocaust.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to slip and slide on its nuclear programs, pressing forward despite five U.N. Security Council resolutions to the contrary. Its anti-Western stance, longstanding support for terrorism, and genocidal threats against Israel are precisely why it should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.