نشریه مطالعات خلیج فارس
سال پنجم شماره 2 (پیاپی 18، پاییز 1398)

One of the important problems in the field of political geography is the political geography of the seas, which deals with maritime boundaries. The significance of such boundaries and the attention to the ownership of the territory of seas clearly demonstrates the importance of the status of the Persian Gulf and its maritime boundaries. The Persian Gulf is an enclosed and semi-enclosed sea which is connected to the Sea of Oman through the Strait of Hormuz. Hence, it is considered to be a high sea connecting Iran to international waters on the south of the country. In fact, the location of the Persian Gulf on the Middle East sea route and its geopolitical and geostrategic significance in the region has prompted the United States of America to challenge the boundaries of the Persian Gulf through changing Iran’s baseline and maritime boundaries, thus ignoring Iran’s rights in the region. Accordingly, following an analytic-descriptive approach, this paper is intended to examine this issue and explore the claims regarding the Iranian borderlines. The findings of this study indicate that, due to the specific features of the Persian Gulf as an enclosed and semi-enclose sea and based on the Law of the Sea, the legal affairs of this sea should be managed by its surrounding countries. Hence, the interference of the US, as a trans-regional power, is not justifiable there, and any kind of claim made by America with respect to the Iranian baseline is rejected. Similarly, the entry of the ships and warships of this country or its allies into Iranian waters under any pretext is considered trespassing.

Iranian architectural styles and the related decorative arts particularly flourished during the middle Islamic ages. During this time, several monuments and structures were built all over the country. While being influenced by the former architectural styles, they enjoyed certain features based on a specific style called Ilkhanid architecture. The historical buildings in the north of the Persian Gulf follow a certain model, which, in addition to employing the prevalent patterns of this period, such as high iwans, mosaic, and carved tiles, has been inspired by some local models and used native materials. This study investigated seven architectural complexes in Bushehr and Hormozgan provinces. The findings of this research indicate that, in spite of the vast use of local materials, such as corals, which are widely available to the residents of this region, the common style of architecture during the middle Islamic centuries and the Ilkhanid period in the northern regions of the Persian Gulf was similar to that in other parts of Iran.

The increasing importance of the Persian Gulf during the Qajar period affected the Port of Bushehr in different respects. One of the reasons for this was the relationship between the cultural elite of Bushehr and the various social classes through the publication of progressive press, spread of patriotic thoughts, and matching them with the existing conditions of Iran and Bushehr. The Mozaffari newspaper was published by Labib al-Mulk Shirazi in Mozaffari Printing House in Bushehr. It was one of the newspapers which, due to the progressive and patriotic thoughts of its editor-in-chief, played an important role in awakening the thoughts of the public in this city and in other regions of Iran. Apart from some of the editorials and articles which were published in this newspaper in relation to the despotism and advancements of different governments, several parts of it exclusively dealt with the news and reports of Bushehr and the coasts and islands of the Persian Gulf. Such reports covered various topics such as the political and economic activities of the delegates of European governments in Bushehr and the Persian Gulf and their cultural activities, including the establishment of new civilizational centers and the opening of Sa’adat Mozaffari School there, as well as the news regarding natural disasters such as earthquakes and contagious diseases on the coasts of the Persian Gulf. Such news were reported alongside those dealing with the activities and functions of the rulers of the ports in the Mozaffari. Following a library method and document analysis approach, the present paper is intended to investigate this newspaper and also examine and evaluate the most important reports and news of Bushehr and the Persian Gulf published there.

Geography and geopolitics are among the factors that play an undeniable role in the escalation of wars. The government authorities of some countries oftentimes adopt certain expansionist approaches to their neighboring countries in order to change the geopolitical limitations of their territories. Iran has been frequently the target of the expansionist politics and ambitions of its neighbors. Iraq’s invasion of Iran and triggering the eight-year imposed war could be referred to as the last case of such expansionist schemes. Using a document and content analysis method and note-taking techniques, this paper is intended to examine the effects and role of the geopolitical status of the Persian Gulf in the escalation of Iraq’s invasion of Iran. The findings of this study demonstrate that, although several factors led to the occurrence of the Iran-Iraq war, borderline disputes, the Iraqi government’s greed for territorial expansion, and its thirst for accessing the vast coasts and rich resources of the Persian Gulf were among the main motives of the Ba’athist regime of Iraq to begin a war with Iran. Given the geopolitical status of Iraq and the unchangeable nature of the related features and factors, the foreign policy of this country has always been designed and determined based on its geopolitical challenges and dilemmas. Hence, there will be no difference between the foreign policies of the previous, present, and future government of this country, and Iraq’s geopolitical dilemma in relation to its lack of access to open seas will always remain a potential threat to the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Here, the authors have presented a number of strategies to safeguard against this threat, including authorities remaining alert and adopting the necessary measures in order to prevent or stand against any such expansionist endeavors.

Tourism potentials are among the economic resources of every region and, thus, any attempt at identification, classification, and planning in this regard is of great importance for the development of tourism. Given the economic problems of Iran during the recent years and the increasing instability in oil prices, it is necessary to part with a single-product system of economy dependent on oil. Possessing various tourism potentials in relation to coastal tourism, historical monuments and sites, and economic features, Bushehr Province is considered to be one of the tourism centers of Iran. In this study, through benefitting from library resources and following the content analysis method, the researchers investigate the potentials for the development of coastal tourism in this province and its role in the economic dynamism of the country. The findings suggest that the coastal province of Bushehr hosts a huge number of tourists every year, which can result in an increase in employment and income levels, establishment and consolidation of services and infrastructures, improvement of its resident’s welfare, and regional development. However, one of the problems of tourism in Bushehr is its seasonal nature so that the number of tourists drastically decreases in summer and autumn there, which results in a recess in the professions connected to tourism. Therefore, the related organizations need to prioritize the development of an appropriate and principled plan in order to solve the problem of seasonal tourism in this province.

The Persian Gulf has always been a focus of attention for Europeans and their neighboring countries. Given the Ottoman government’s policies, this region became increasingly important in the beginning of the 19th century. This was because, at this time, some powerful European countries began to support the Sheikhs of the Persian Gulf in their conflicts with other regional powers such as the Ottoman and Iranian governments in order to expand their political relationships and protect their benefits there. Among the Sheikh’s of the Persian Gulf who played a significant role in the failure of Ottomans’ policies in the region at the outset of World War I, reference can be made to Sheikh Khazal, the ruler of Khorramshahr ( Mohammereh). Following a descriptive-analytic method and relying on library resources and documents, this study aims to investigate Sheikh Khazal’s role in the disintegration of Ottomans’ power in the Persian Gulf during the first quarter of the 20th century.