President Trump is planning to announce that the US will refer to the Persian Gulf under a new name in a move already being condemned by Iran as a “hostile” act.
Trump’s unilateral name change, set to be promoted on his trip to several Arab nations next week, follows a similar redesignation for the Gulf of Mexico, which he wants to be known as the Gulf of America.
Both of the names he is targeting — Gulf of Arabia or Arabian Gulf — date back to the 16th century, although the use of Gulf of Arabia is widespread among Arab countries.
The US military has also unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images for years.
Trump is simultaneously attempting a negotiation with Iran over its nuclear ambitions but the diplomacy could be derailed by his renaming.
His latest plans were first reported by the Associated Press, which Trump banned from Oval Office coverage after it refused to accept his new name for the Gulf of Mexico. The agency has been allowed back into the pool of reporters who follow the president after a successful court appeal.
Trump has given a map of his renamed Gulf of Mexico pride of place in the Oval Office and on Air Force One
KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS
Abbas Araghchi, foreign minister of Iran, which was renamed from Persia in 1935, wrote on X that the names of Middle Eastern waterways did “not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity”.
He added: “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.
“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. 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.”
As if to prove his point, the anti-regime National Union for Democracy in Iran posted: “There has always been and will only ever be one name for the Persian Gulf.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a pro-Trump congresswoman from Georgia, has brought forward a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico permanently. Some have complained, however, that it is a waste of time.
“This is a time where we should be in our districts, going to graduations, making sure that we’re listening to folks who have tariff issues,” Fox News Digital quoted a moderate Republican saying. “Instead, we’re going to spend time doing this … it’s frustrating for somebody who’s got a lot of pragmatic legislation, waiting in the queue to be heard. Instead, we’re doing posture bills. It’s not what I came here to do.”