US President Donald Trump said in a press conference in the White House on Wednesday that he will make an announcement about the preferred term for the Persian Gulf during his upcoming visit to the region.
Iran has strongly objected to and condemned any attempts to change the name of the Persian Gulf, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calling it a “politically motivated” move “indicative of hostile intent towards Iran and its people.” He warns the move will “bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion.”
The Persian Gulf is a preferred nomenclature for the water body surrounded by Persian and Arabian peninsulas for centuries. However, most of the Arab countries in the region gradually moved away from using the term and shifted to calling it “Arabian Gulf” or just “the Gulf” given their territorial and historical dispute with Iran. They have insisted on using these terms following the formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 1981, in particular.
Trump stokes Persian Gulf naming dispute ahead of West Asia visit
Araghchi said in a post on X on Thursday that “Iran has never objected to the use of names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or Red Sea. The use of these names does not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity.”
Though Trump claimed he does not want to upset anyone, he said he would make a decision about the name if his hosts request it. Trump is scheduled to make his first trip of his second presidential term to the West Asia region between May 13 and 16. He will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On Wednesday, AP reported two US officials confirming that during his visit, Trump indeed plans to announce that the US will refer to the Persian Gulf as either the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia.
Noting that “the name of Persian Gulf, like many geographical designations, is deeply rooted in human history,” Araghchi warned that the move to change the name would be a “short-sighted” one.
Change of name will have no legal or geographical effect
Iran’s foreign minister further claimed that he is confident that “[Trump] 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 the 1960s.”
Araghchi also asserted that the change of name “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.”
Trump, ever since returning to office, has made decisions and announcements contrary to international law. Such measures have been criticized as delusional or a sign of his “imperial delirium” by some commentators.
Immediately after taking office, Trump signed a decree renaming the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America. He has also claimed his desire to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland by force and threatened to merge Canada into the US as the 51st state.
Most US institutions already refer to the body of water as the Arabian Gulf given the close political and economic links with the GCC and decades-old adversities with Iran. Trump during his first presidency was already criticized by the Iranians for referring to the Persian Gulf as Arabian Gulf.
The change of name would only be applicable to the US’ official use and no other international organization or country can be forced to use it. However, as was seen during the change of name of Gulf of Mexico, the Trump administration can try to put penalties on entities refusing to follow its preferred terms.
