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Trump plans to announce US will call Persian Gulf ‘Arabian Gulf’, officials say Trump plans to announce US will refer to Arabian Gulf rather than Persian Gulf
(about 4 hours later)
Iranian leaders are already pushing back, saying renaming the gulf would be ‘indicative of hostile intent toward Iran’ Move sparks outrage in Iran as diplomats try to broker deal between Tehran and Washington over nuclear programme
Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf” or the “Gulf of Arabia”, according to two US officials. Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the US will now refer to the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia rather than the Persian Gulf.
The move has prompted a push back from Iranian leaders. The move has prompted outrage from Iranian leaders, and last-minute efforts are being made to persuade Trump to pull back from offending Iran in the midst of vital talks on the future of the Iranian nuclear programme. “If Trump went ahead with the proposal he would manage to unite every Iranian, pro- or anti-regime, against him, and that is a near impossible achievement,” one diplomat said.
On Wednesday, Iran’s current foreign minister weighed in, saying that names of mideast waterways do “not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity”. The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he hoped the absurd rumour about a name change was disinformation, adding that names of Middle East waterways did “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. “The name Persian Gulf, like many geographical designations, is deeply rooted in human history. Iran has never objected to the use of names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea or Red Sea. In contrast, 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. Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence.
“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 US and across the world.” “Any shortsighted 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 US and across the world.”
Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.
The two US officials spoke with the Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The White House and National Security Council did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The term Persian Gulf has been used since Roman times and the gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, with Iranians tracing their history back to the Persian empire. The use of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran – formerly Persia – threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran – formerly Persia – threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. But Trump regards the US decision to change how the US administration describes the Gulf as a gift to Arab leaders that will lead them to offer concessions regarding their relations with Israel. The move comes several months after Trump said the US would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.
On Google Maps in the US, the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf. European diplomats trying to broker a deal between the US and Iran over the nuclear programme are urging the Iranian leadership not to “lose it” over Trump’s actions, but there are fears that hardliners in Iran opposed to the principle of talks with the US will use Trump’s gesture as a lever with which to argue the US cannot be trusted.
The US military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases. But JD Vance, the vice-president, speaking at a Munich Security Conference event in Washington, gave a very upbeat account of the talks, saying: “So far so good ... Our proposition is simple: we don’t care if people want nuclear power. They can have civil nuclear power. We don’t mind that. But you can’t have the kind of enrichment programme that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon and that’s where we draw the line.”
The name of the body of water has become an emotive issue for Iranians who embrace their country’s long history as the Persian Empire. A spat developed in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran’s president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to “study geography”.
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Trump can change the name for official US purposes, but he can’t dictate what the rest of the world calls it. He said the two sides might be on the verge of a deal that “reintegrates” Iran into the global economy.
The International Hydrographic Organization – of which the United States is a member – works to ensure all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them. His reference to a “kind of enrichment programme” suggests the Americans may be prepared to allow Iranians to enrich uranium to some degree under the supervision of the UN’s nuclear inspectors, the IAEA.
There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation. There has been controversy in the past about how US officials refer to the Gulf.
The move comes several months after Trump said the US would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.