WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump plans to announce on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now call the Persian Gulf or Arab Gulf, two U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Arab countries have pushed for a change in the geographical name of Iran's southern coastal waters, and Iran has maintained historical ties to the Gulf.
U.S. officials talked about sensitive issues without anonymity. The White House and the National Security Council did not immediately respond to news seeking comments.
The Persian Gulf has been well known by this name since the 16th century, although the use of the “Arab Gulf” and “Arab Gulf” dominates many countries in the Middle East. The Iranian government (formerly Persia) threatened to sue Google in 2012 because the company's decision not to label the water body on the map.
On Google Maps in the United States, water is reflected in the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple map only talks about the Persian Gulf.
For many years, the U.S. military unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in its statements and images.
For the Iranians, the name of the waters has become an emotional problem, who embraced their country’s long history as a Persian empire. It was a spit when Trump used the Arabian Gulf name for the waterway in his first semester. Iran's then-President Hassan Rouhani suggested Trump needed to “study geography.”
“Everyone knows that Trump's friendship will be sold to the highest bidder. We now know that his location is the same,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Jawad Zarif wrote online at the time.
Trump can change the name for official purposes, but he can't decide what elsewhere in the world says.
The International Hydroven (the United States is a member) strives to ensure a unified survey and charting of all oceans, oceans and accessible waters in the world and name some of them. In some cases, countries refer to the same water or landmarks by different names in their own documents.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, Trump will also visit Doha, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which are also located in the waters. Since taking office on January 20, the initial plan was originally planned as Trump's first overseas trip, as Trump attempted to seek financial investment in the U.S. and support in regional conflicts, including a nuclear program to resolve the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza war and limit Iran's advancement.
The U.S. president also has important financial ties to the country through his personal business, and he retains ownership from the Oval Office.
The move comes months after Trump said the U.S. called the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
The Associated Press sued the Trump administration earlier this year because the group's decision did not follow the president's executive order to name the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” within the United States.
U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden, appointed by President Donald Trump, ruled last month that the first amendment protected the Associated Press from the government's retaliation against its choice of words and ordered the resumption of exports.
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AP writers in Washington, Zeke Miller, Jon Gambrell of Dubai, Meg Kinnard of Chapin, South Carolina contributed to the report.
