Trump to announce US shift from ‘Persian Gulf' to ‘Arabian Gulf': Report
US President Donald Trump plans to announce during his upcoming trip to the Middle East that the United States will officially begin using the term 'Arabian Gulf' instead of 'Persian Gulf,' the Associated Press reported Wednesday, citing two US officials.
The naming of the strategic body of water has long been a politically and culturally sensitive issue, particularly for Iran, which strongly opposes any deviation from the term 'Persian Gulf.'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday condemned the reported US decision.
'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,' Araghchi wrote on X.
'While 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,' he added.
A similar controversy arose during Trump's first term in 2017, when he used the name 'Arabian Gulf,' prompting then-Iranian president Hassan Rouhani to suggest the US president 'study geography.'
In 2012, Iran threatened to sue Google over the company's decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.
While the US government has used 'Persian Gulf' in official documents, the US military has been using 'Arabian Gulf' in statements and imagery for years.
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