The National Virtual Space Center (NVSC) has announced plans to take legal action against Google for distorting the name of the Persian Gulf.

IRNA reports that during a ceremony on May 21, Mohammad-Sadeq Farahani, NVSC’s deputy head of legal and parliamentary affairs, denounced Google’s distortion of the historical name of the Persian Gulf following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump was considering the same move.

“As the authority responsible for overseeing the country’s cyberspace, we consider it our duty to safeguard Iran’s cultural identity and take necessary measures,” he said.

“We hope that through collaboration with legal experts and scholars, we can establish a legal framework to take action against Google and thereby fulfill our duty to the beloved Islamic Iran,” the official added.

Farahani emphasized that the National Virtual Space Center is committed to defending the rights of the Iranian people.

“We plan to address this issue in three ways: first, by formally protesting to international organizations; second, by pursuing the matter in international courts and tribunals; and finally, by filing a complaint in domestic courts with the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary,” he said.

Iran's National Virtual Space Center (NVSC), also known as the Supreme Council of Cyberspace (SCC), is a cyberspace-focused body established by Iran's Supreme Leader in 2012.  Its primary functions include developing comprehensive knowledge of the internal and external cyberspace and making decisions on how to address online harms.  The NVSC is responsible for internet policy, including internet filtering and website blocking.  It is considered to be dominated by security agencies and operates with little public oversight. 

It is to be noted that media reports said in early May that before visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly considered referring to the Persian Gulf as the 'Arabian Gulf.'

Iranian internet users expressed intense anger after an Associated Press (AP)’s report published on May 7, claimed that Donald Trump was considering using the term "Arabian Gulf" instead of "Persian Gulf" during his trip to three countries in the region.

Le Monde reported on May 10 that the anger did not subside when Trump, a few hours later, stated that no final decision had yet been made regarding a possible change of name in official American documents.