Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump plans to announce during his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States is now referring to the Persian Gulf such as the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two American officials.
The Arab nations have prompted to change the geographical name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historical links with the Gulf.
The two US officials spoke on Tuesday with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. The White House Council and National Security did not immediately respond to messages asking for comments.
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by this name since the 16th century, although the use of the “Gulf of Arabia” and the “Arab Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The Government of Iran – formerly Persian – threatened to continue Google in 2012 for the company’s decision not to label the body of water on its cards.
On Google Maps in the United States, the body of water appears as the Persian Gulf (Arab Gulf). Apple cards only say the Persian Gulf.
The American army for years has unilaterally called the Persian Gulf as the Persian Gulf in the declarations and images it publishes.
The name of the body of water has become an emotional question for the Iranians who embrace the long history of their country as a Persian Empire. A spat developed in 2017 During Trump’s first term, when he used the name of Arabia Gulf for the navigable way. The Iranian president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested that Trump had to “study geography”.
“Everyone knew that Trump’s friendship was for sale to the most offender. We now know that his geography is also,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif online at the time.
On Wednesday, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran also weighed, claiming that the names of the Middle East sailors “do not imply the ownership of a particular nation, but rather reflects common respect for the collective heritage of humanity”.
“The attempts at political motivation to modify the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of a hostile intention towards Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,” wrote Abbas Araghchi on the social platform X.
“Any step in short views in this regard will have no validity or legal or geographic effect, it will only bring the anger of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the United States and around the world.”
Trump can Change the name for official American purposesBut he cannot dictate what the rest of the world calls him.
The international hydrographic organization – of which the United States is a member – endeavors to ensure that all the seas, oceans and navigable waters in the world are interviewed and mapped uniformly, and do not name some. There are cases where countries refer to the same set of water or benchmarks by different names in their own documentation.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, Trump should also visit Doha, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which are also on the water. Initially planned as Trump’s first trip abroad since he took office on January 20, it comes when Trump tried to get closer to the Gulf countries while he Looking for their financial investment in the United States and support in regional conflicts, in particular by resolving the War of Israel-Hamas in Gaza and limiting Iran’s advanced nuclear program.
The American president also has significant financial links with countries thanks to his personal activities, on which he has retained ownership of the Oval Office.
This decision comes several months after Trump said that the United States would refer to the Gulf of Mexico Gulf of America.
The Associated Press continued the Trump administration earlier this year after the White House prevented its journalists from covering most of the events due to the organization’s decision not to follow the president Executive decree to rename the Gulf of Mexico Like the “American Gulf” in the United States.
US District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, appointed by President Donald Trump, judged last month that the first amendment protects the ability of the government on his choice of words and ordered the reintegration of the access to the outlet.
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The writers of the Associated Press Zeke Miller in Washington, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and Meg Kinnard in Chapin, in South Carolina, contributed to this report.
