President Donald Trump is making plans for the United States to begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia or the Arabian Gulf, two administration officials familiar with the discussions told CNN.
The expected announcement is tied to his trip to the Middle East next week, where he’ll visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the officials said. They added that conversations regarding the change are ongoing, and it is still unclear when the president will make the announcement.
When asked about the name change at an Oval Office event Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he’ll “have to make a decision” during his Middle East trip next week.
“They’re going to ask me about that when I get there, and I’ll have to make a decision,” Trump said. “I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. I don’t know if feelings are going to be hurt.”
Trump added that he is “going to be given a briefing” regarding plans on renaming the gulf, adding he would make a decision after that.
Arab nations have long pushed for the Persian Gulf, the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, to be renamed to reflect their countries. But Trump’s comments appear to acknowledge that the Iranians, who have long pushed for the body of water off the southern cost of their country to continue being referred to as the Persian Gulf, will vehemently oppose to such a move.
The Iranian foreign minister warned Wednesday that such a step would “bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S. and across the world.”
“I am confident that @realdonaldtrump is aware that the name PERSIAN Gulf is centuries old and recognized by all cartographers and international bodies and was even used by all leaders of the region in their official communications until as recently as 1960’s,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, condemning what he called “politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf.”
The Trump administration is currently in talks with Iran regarding a potential nuclear deal.
The Associated Press first reported on Trump’s renaming plans.
Trump earlier this year signed an executive action to rename the Gulf of Mexico, which Google maps now lists for its US-based users as “the Gulf of America.”
House Republicans are trying to codify that name change but are running into some resistance among their ranks.
The White House’s renaming has also spurred a dispute with The AP that has led to court involvement. As a global news outlet with customers all around the world, the AP said it will continue using the name “Gulf of Mexico” in its news coverage and influential stylebook while still acknowledging the new “Gulf of America” name.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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