Can Trump rename the Persian Gulf?

President Trump floated by changing the name of the Persian Gulf to the Persian Gulf before a trip to the Middle East next week, a decision that made Iran and its people furious.

“I’m going to have to make a decision,” Trump said in the oval office on Wednesday. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I don’t know if the feelings will be injured. ”

Last week, the Associated Press reported that Mr. Trump planned to announce the rename of his visit to several Arab countries, which have been lobbying for change for years.

Turquoise blue water has been called the Persian Gulf for at least 550 BC. Ancient Persia is now modern Iran, and all its southern coast extends along the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian governments, returning at the pre-revolution time of the Shah, statically defended the Persian Gulf as the only legitimate name. The Iranians therefore have inside and outside the country, which consider the name as a fundamental part of their national and cultural identity.