Iran “firmly condemned” the Trump administration for reportedly seeking to rename the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf.
On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi released a statement referencing an Associated Press report that said Trump plans to announce during an upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia that the United States will start referring to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf. Iran was historically known as Persia until the Middle Eastern country changed its name in 1935. Hence, the gulf's name holds a nationalistic appeal to Araghchi and his colleagues.
“Let's hope that the absurd rumors about the PERSIAN Gulf that are going around are no more than a disinformation campaign by 'forever warriors' to anger Iranians all over the world and agitate them,” Iran’s top diplomat wrote in a post to X.
“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,” Araghchi continued.
He warned that any “politically motivated” attempts to rename the gulf, which lies off the southern coast of Iran, would be viewed as “indicative of hostile intent toward Iran,” adding that the “shortsighted step” would invoke Iran’s wrath.
Iran’s message follows Trump’s move to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, an attempt that earned the White House a legal battle with the Associated Press. The president also reinstated Mount McKinley as the name for Denali, North America's highest peak.
Rumors about Trump’s latest plan to rename a prominent location stem from an Associated Press report citing two unnamed officials within his administration. After the U.S. military unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf for years, the president is planning to declare the gulf’s name change during his trip to Saudi Arabia next week, per the outlet.
Trump does not have the authority to force the world to adopt the name change, but he could implement the change on U.S. maps and geographical tools such as Google Maps, similar to the Gulf of America change.
For decades, Arab states bordering the gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have sought to remove Persia from its name. It is commonly referred to as the “Gulf of Arabia” or the “Arabian Gulf” by many Middle Eastern countries.
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Araghchi's criticism of the Trump administration's alleged attempt to rename the gulf comes as the relationship between Iran and the U.S. has grown increasingly fraught in recent months. Conflict has been brewing over Iran's nuclear capacities, which the U.S. is attempting to decapitate through a deal Trump is working to negotiate with the Middle Eastern country.
Some lawmakers, including Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), have urged the president to end diplomatic efforts to avert escalations and instead launch direct airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.