During his visit to Saudi Arabia next week, Donald Trump plans to announce that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf. Iran has historic ties to the Gulf, but Arab nations have repeatedly pushed for a name change for the body of water, which is located just off the southern coast of Iran. The body of water has been known as the Persian Gulf since the 16th century.
Arabian Gulf
The news was first broken by the Associated Press on Tuesday. Two officials shared the news under the condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. In some countries in the Middle East, the Gulf is referred to as the “Gulf of Arabia” or the “Arabian Gulf.”
In 2012, Iran threatened to sue Google when it labeled the body of water the Persian Gulf on all of its maps. Both Google Maps and Apple Maps list the body of water as the Persian Gulf. Iran wanted it listed as “Arabian Gulf” or the “Gulf of Arabia.” For several years now, the military has referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in all of its images and statements.
Trump’s Issues With the President Of Iran
In 2017, during Trump’s first term, Trump got into a spat with the then-president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, after Trump called the body of water the Arabian Gulf. Rouhani told Trump he needed to “study geography.” “Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in 2017.
Foreign Minister Weighs In
On Wednesday, Iran’s current foreign minister also weighed in, saying that the names of Middle East waterways do “not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity.”
“Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on the social platform X.
“Any short-sighted step in this connection will have no validity or legal or geographical effect, it will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S., and across the world.” Trump does have the power to change the name for U.S. purposes, but cannot tell the rest of the world what to refer to the body of water as.
Trump To Visit Middle East
Next week, Trump will be visiting Saudi Arabia, Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi lies on the body of water in question. Trump is reportedly attempting to get closer to Gulf countries in an attempt to get them to invest in the U.S.
Trump has many ties to other countries through his personal business. Trump has retained ownership of all of his businesses while in the White House. This name change comes on the heels of Trump changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
