Iran condemns US plan to rename Persian Gulf: A hostile step
Shafaq News/ Iranian officials have strongly criticized reports that US President Donald Trump plans to officially adopt the term "Arabian Gulf" during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, calling the move politically motivated and provocative.
According to The Associated Press, two unnamed US officials said Trump is expected to announce next week that Washington will begin referring to the body of water as either the "Arabian Gulf" or the "Gulf of Arabia", replacing the widely recognized historical name "Persian Gulf."
Reacting to the report, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected what he described as an attempt to alter a name long established in historical and international usage.
“The name Persian Gulf, like many geographical terms, is deeply rooted in human history,” Araghchi wrote on X, “Iran has never objected to names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or Red Sea. These do not imply ownership, but reflect shared geographic heritage.”
He added that any effort to change the name for political purposes would be perceived as a hostile gesture toward Iran and its people.
The foreign minister also shared an image from the US Library of Congress depicting the waterway labeled as the Persian Gulf, stressing that the name remains internationally recognized and consistently used in historical cartography and by global institutions.
Reza Nasri, a senior Iranian foreign policy expert, warned that a shift in terminology could spark widespread protests from Iranian communities abroad, particularly in the United States and at American diplomatic missions worldwide.
“Few issues bring together Iranians across political divides like any attempt to rename the Persian Gulf,” Nasri said.
The naming dispute has resurfaced periodically over the past few decades. The term Persian Gulf has been documented in historical records since at least the 16th century and remains the standard designation in United Nations documents and international treaties.
However, in recent years, some Arab Gulf states have increasingly used the term "Arabian Gulf" in their domestic communications. The US military has also used that terminology in official statements, a practice that has previously drawn criticism from Tehran.
This would not be the first time President Trump has drawn controversy over the issue. In 2017, during his first term, similar language prompted then-Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to publicly suggest that Trump needed to “study geography.”
The name Persian Gulf, like many geographical designations, is deeply rooted in human history. 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… pic.twitter.com/PQjUiph4qt
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 7, 2025
